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Common Core Math4th GradeNumbers in Base Ten

4.NBT.3: Round Multi-Digit Numbers to Any Place

Also written as 4.NBT.A.3 and CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NBT.A.3 · Cluster: Generalize place value understanding for multi-digit whole numbers.

Make 4.NBT.3 Number LinesAll 28 4th Grade Math Standards

The Official Wording

Use place value understanding to round multi-digit whole numbers to any place.

Common Core State Standards, Grade 4, Number & Operations in Base Ten · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What 4.NBT.3 Means in Plain English

Fourth graders round numbers of any size to whichever place the question names. 48,617 sits between 48,000 and 49,000, past the halfway mark of 48,500, so to the nearest thousand it rounds to 49,000. By hundreds, the same number rounds to 48,600.

Rounding becomes the everyday estimating tool: 38,406 + 21,989 should land near 60,000, and word problem answers get checked the same way (4.OA.3). In 5th grade students round decimals too, like 3.476 to the nearest tenth, 3.5 (5.NBT.4).

4.NBT.3 I Can Statements

  • I can round a multi-digit number to any place.
  • I can name the two numbers it sits between.
  • I can use rounding to check whether an answer makes sense.

4.NBT.3 Worked Example

One five-digit number rounded four ways, so students see that the answer depends on the place named.

Problem

Round 48,617 to the nearest ten, hundred, thousand and ten thousand.

Rounding 48,617 four ways
  1. Nearest ten: it sits between 48,610 and 48,620. The ones digit, 7, is past halfway.48,617 → 48,620
  2. Nearest hundred: between 48,600 and 48,700. The 17 left over is less than the halfway 50.48,617 → 48,600
  3. Nearest thousand: between 48,000 and 49,000. The 617 left over is past the halfway 500.48,617 → 49,000
  4. Nearest ten thousand: between 40,000 and 50,000. The 8,617 left over is past the halfway 5,000.48,617 → 50,000
Answer48,620, 48,600, 49,000 and 50,000

Check it: Each answer is the closer neighbor: 48,617 is 383 from 49,000 but 617 from 48,000, and 1,383 from 50,000 but 8,617 from 40,000.

Common Mistakes with 4.NBT.3

Keeping the digits after the rounding place

48,617 to the nearest thousand written as 49,617

Try this: Name the two neighbors before deciding, 48,000 and 49,000. The answer has to be one of them, with zeros after the thousands.

Looking at the wrong digit

48,617 to the nearest hundred: sees the 7 and rounds up to 48,700

Try this: Underline the rounding place, then point at the digit just to its right. Only that digit, the 1 here, decides.

Getting stuck on a 9

29,960 to the nearest hundred written as 29,1000 or 29,900

Try this: Count up on a number line: the hundred after 29,900 is 30,000. Rounding up a 9 carries into the next place.

Where 4.NBT.3 Fits

Comes Before3.NBT.1Round three-digit numbers to the nearest 10 or 100.
Alongside4.NBT.2Compare multi-digit numbers using the value of each digit.4.OA.3Use rounding to judge whether a word problem answer is reasonable.
Comes Next5.NBT.4Round decimals to any place, like 3.476 to 3.5.

Practice 4.NBT.3

Number Line GeneratorFree ToolLines with the two neighbors at the ends and a tick at halfway, like 48,000 to 49,000 in steps of 100. Students place the number and choose the closer end.Steps of 100Steps of 1,000Labeled ends
Make Number Lines
Math Worksheet GeneratorFree ToolRound-to-any-place items up to six digits, with an answer key. Ask for each number rounded to two different places, side by side.Grade 4RoundingAnswer key
Make a Worksheet

Quick Check

  1. Round 73,482 to the nearest thousand.
  2. Round 615,250 to the nearest ten thousand.
  3. Round 9,962 to the nearest hundred.

4.NBT.3: Other Names

4.NBT.34.NBT.A.3CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.NBT.A.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.