How to Compare and Order Big Numbers
Compare big numbers one place at a time, starting at the left.
Need more than one? Tap + for extra copies (up to 10).
How to do it
- Line up the numbers by place.
- Compare the digits from the left.
- The first place that is different decides.
Teaching tip
Lining the numbers up on graph paper makes the places easy to see. This sheet is aligned with Common Core 4.NBT.A.2.
About this chart
Worked examples comparing 485,312 and 482,906 place by place, and putting four 5-digit numbers in order.
What kids practice
Place value is what a digit is worth because of where it sits. In 482,615 the 8 is worth 80,000 and the 6 is worth 600. Fourth graders read, write, compare and round numbers up to one million, and learn that each place is worth 10 times the place to its right. Commas split big numbers into periods of three digits, which makes them easier to read.
Watch for
- Reading the digit instead of its value, like saying the 8 in 482,615 is worth 8.
- Forgetting zeros in word and expanded form, like writing 405,020 as 45,020.
- Comparing big numbers by the first digit only when the numbers have a different number of digits.
- Rounding to the wrong place, or changing digits to the left of the rounding place.
It's free to print, as many copies as you need. See the full place value to 1,000,000 guide for 4th grade.
More sheets in this set
- See it all
1. Place Value ChartA place value chart from ones to hundred thousands with 482,615, its standard, word and expanded forms, how commas work, and ten times as much. - See it all
2. How to Read and Write Big NumbersHow commas split 482,615 into groups, how to read it out loud, and the same number in standard, word and expanded form. 
3. Value of the DigitBig numbers with one digit shaded. Name the digit's place and write its value, like 40,000 for the 4 in 548,312.
4. Standard, Word and Expanded FormEach big number is given one way: standard form, word form or expanded form. Write it the other two ways.
6. Compare Big NumbersPairs of 5- and 6-digit numbers that look alike. Compare them with >, < or =. More includes numbers with a different number of digits.
7. Order Big NumbersSets of four or five big numbers that start with the same digits. Write them in order from least to greatest.- See it all
8. How to Round Big NumbersRounding 46,712 to the nearest thousand and 312,480 to the nearest hundred thousand, with the look-here digit marked and a number line for each. 
9. Round Big NumbersRound big numbers to the nearest 1,000, 10,000 or 100,000. Fewer uses number lines. More includes numbers that round up past a 9.- See it all
10. How a Digit's Value ChangesFinding the value of the 4 in 548,317, and how each place to the left is worth 10 times as much, with 5, 50, 500, 5,000 and 50,000. 
11. Ten Times as MuchFacts like 10 × 400 = 4,000 and 60,000 ÷ 10 = 6,000, plus numbers with the same digit in two places to compare. More includes digits two places apart.
12. Mystery NumberPlace value riddles like "My tens digit is 2 more than my ones digit." Find every digit of the mystery number. More gives only one digit outright.