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Common Core Math1st GradeNumbers in Base Ten

1.NBT.3: Compare Two-Digit Numbers

Also written as 1.NBT.B.3 and CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.NBT.B.3 · Cluster: Understand place value.

Make a Comparing Numbers WorksheetAll 21 1st Grade Math Standards

The Official Wording

Compare two two-digit numbers based on meanings of the tens and ones digits, recording the results of comparisons with the symbols >, =, and <.

Common Core State Standards, Grade 1, Number & Operations in Base Ten · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What 1.NBT.3 Means in Plain English

First graders compare two-digit numbers by looking at the tens first: 52 has 5 tens and 38 has only 3, so 52 is greater even though 8 is bigger than 2. Only when the tens match, as in 61 and 64, do the ones decide.

Recording with >, = and < is part of the job, so students need a reliable way to read the symbols aloud. In 2nd grade the same tens-first habit becomes hundreds-first with three-digit numbers (2.NBT.4).

1.NBT.3 I Can Statements

  • I can compare two-digit numbers by looking at the tens first.
  • I can use the ones when the tens are the same.
  • I can write a comparison with >, = or <.

1.NBT.3 Worked Example

Two pairs of numbers, one settled by the tens and one by the ones, recorded with symbols.

Problem

Compare 52 and 38. Then compare 61 and 64. Write each comparison with >, = or <.

Tens first, then ones
  1. Look at the tens. 52 has 5 tens and 38 has 3 tens.5 tens and 3 tens
  2. 5 tens is more, so 52 is greater. The ones do not matter here.52 > 38
  3. Now 61 and 64. Both have 6 tens, so the tens are a tie.6 tens and 6 tens
  4. Look at the ones. 1 one is less than 4 ones.61 < 64
  5. Read each comparison aloud from the left.52 is greater than 38. 61 is less than 64.
Answer52 > 38 and 61 < 64

Check it: Find all four on a hundreds chart: 38 sits in an earlier row than 52, and 61 sits three squares before 64.

Common Mistakes with 1.NBT.3

Letting the ones decide

38 > 52 “because 8 is the biggest”

Try this: Build both numbers with rods and cubes and compare the rods first: whoever has more tens has more, whatever the ones say.

Flipping the symbol

Writes 52 < 38 while saying “52 is bigger”

Try this: Teach that the open side faces the bigger number and the point faces the smaller, then read each comparison aloud from the left.

Forgetting the equal sign

Leaves the circle between 45 and 45 empty: “neither one is bigger”

Try this: Include equal pairs in every set, and build both numbers so students see the piles match exactly.

Where 1.NBT.3 Fits

Comes BeforeK.CC.7Compare two written numerals between 1 and 10.K.CC.6Tell whether one group has more, fewer or the same as another.
Alongside1.NBT.2Know that a two-digit number is tens and ones.1.NBT.5Find 10 more or 10 less than a two-digit number.
Comes Next2.NBT.4Compare three-digit numbers with >, = and <.

Practice 1.NBT.3

Math Worksheet GeneratorFree ToolPairs of two-digit numbers with a circle between them for the symbol, including pairs with the same tens and a few equal pairs.Grade 1Compare numbersAnswer key
Make a Worksheet

Quick Check

  1. Which symbol goes between 47 and 74: >, = or <?
  2. Which symbol goes between 83 and 80?
  3. Lia has 29 stickers and Max has 31. Who has more? Write it with a symbol.

1.NBT.3: Other Names

1.NBT.31.NBT.B.3CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.NBT.B.3

Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Official wording from the Common Core State Standards PDFs at corestandards.org, last checked October 14, 2026. The explanation, I can statements, example, mistakes and practice on this page are EMStudio’s own, written beside the official wording. They are not part of the standard.