Number Bonds to 10

Free interactive math game: Number Bonds to 10 — Pairs that make 10. Part of the Learning Numbers category on MathKite.

Example problems

Taken from the generator that powers this exercise. A fresh set appears every time the page is opened, and the printable worksheet holds ten of them.

  1. 6 + ? = 10
  2. 2 + ? = 10
  3. ? + 5 = 10
  4. ? + 8 = 10

About this exercise

Knowing by heart which pairs of numbers add up to ten — the single most useful fact in mental arithmetic.

How to solve it

Count on from the number you are given until you reach ten, or recall the pair directly. The pairs are 1 and 9, 2 and 8, 3 and 7, 4 and 6, and 5 with itself.

Worked example

For 3 + ? = 10, count up from three: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. That is seven steps, so the answer is 7.

Common mistake

Answering with the number you started from. Reading the finished sentence back, 3 + 7 = 10, catches this immediately.