Place value and face value

Face value is the digit itself. Place value is what it is worth in its place: in 3,620, the 6 is worth 600. Quiz below.

🧒 Kids: same digit, different worth!

In 3,620, the 6 is just a 6. That is its face value. But it sits in the hundreds place, so it is worth 600. That is its place value. Then try the quiz!

▶ Quiz 🔢 More practice 🧮 Calculator

3,620face value = 6just the digitplace value = 6006 hundreds

💡 Trick: Face value: just say the digit. Place value: the digit, then one zero for each digit after it!

More on place value: Tens and ones · Hundreds, tens and ones · Expanded form · Number names · Place value and face value

For parents and teachers ↓

This part is for grown-ups: the key idea, pictures to draw, what to say, common mistakes, questions with answers and a free worksheet.

The trick: digit, then zeros

For face value, read the digit and stop. For place value, write the digit and then one zero for every digit to its right. In 58,412, the 8 has three digits after it, so its place value is 8,000. Its face value is 8.

Patterns to spot

Key words

Why it matters: Knowing the difference between face value and place value is the heart of place value. It explains why the same digit can be worth 6 or 6,000, and it is a common question type in Indian school exams.

See it: pictures to draw with your child

Draw these on paper, or build them with sticks, blocks or coins. Seeing the groups makes the digits make sense.

3,620face value = 6just the digitplace value = 6006 hundreds
The 6 in 3,620: face value 6, place value 600.
58,412face value = 8just the digitplace value = 8,0008 thousands
The 8 in 58,412: face value 8, place value 8,000.
ThousandsOnesTenthousands550,000Thousands88,000Hundreds4400Tens110Ones22
The place value chart shows the place of each digit, and its value underneath.

What your child already knows

Children already know that the 4 in 47 means 4 tens. Face value and place value put names on the two ways to talk about that 4: as a digit, and as what it is worth.

In real life: On a price tag of ₹3,620, the 3 is worth ₹3,000, while the 2 is only ₹20. A cashier who mixes up the places gives the wrong change.

The difference between two place values

A common question asks for the difference between the place values of two equal digits. In 5,353, the two 5s are in the thousands and tens places.

Their place values are 5,000 and 50, so the difference is 5,000 − 50 = 4,950. Their face values are both 5, so the difference of the face values is 0.

NumberDigitPlace valuesDifference
5,35355,000 and 504,950
7,62777,000 and 76,993
48,284440,000 and 439,996

The sum and product of face value and place value come up too. For the 6 in 3,620: 6 + 600 = 606 and 6 × 600 = 3,600.

Worked examples

Example 1: Find both values

  1. Find the face value and place value of 7 in 47,215.
  2. The face value is 7.
  3. It is in the thousands place, so its place value is 7 × 1,000 = 7,000.

Example 2: Difference of place values

  1. Find the difference between the place values of the two 3s in 3,437.
  2. They are in the thousands and tens places: 3,000 and 30.
  3. 3,000 − 30 = 2,970.

Example 3: Sum of face and place value

  1. Find the sum of the face value and place value of 4 in 6,489.
  2. Face value 4.
  3. Place value 400.
  4. Sum: 4 + 400 = 404.

Common mistakes

Swapping the twoSays the place value of 6 in 3,620 is 6.Fix: 6 is the face value. The place value is 600.
Too many zerosGives the place value of 8 in 58,412 as 80,000.Fix: count the digits after the 8: three, so 8,000.
Mixing up the placesSays the 2 in 3,620 is in the hundreds place.Fix: count from the right: ones, tens, hundreds. The 2 is in the tens place.

What to say to your child

A short script for your first session. Pause after each line and let your child answer.

  1. “What is the face value of 6 in 3,620?” (6.)
  2. “What place is it in?” (Hundreds.)
  3. “So what is its place value?” (600.)
  4. “Is the face value of a digit ever different?” (No, it is always the digit.)
  5. “What is the place value of 0?” (Always 0.)

Questions to try (answers below)

Ask these out loud or write them down. The last one is a stretch.

  1. Face value of 9 in 2,948
  2. Place value of 9 in 2,948
  3. Place value of 5 in 50,312
  4. Place value of 1 in 4,231
  5. Face value of 0 in 7,045
  6. Which digit in 63,418 has place value 3,000?
  7. Difference of the place values of the two 2s in 2,529
  8. Sum of the face value and place value of 7 in 1,742
  9. Stretch: product of the face value and place value of 4 in 4,105
Show the answers
  1. 9
  2. 900
  3. 50,000
  4. 1
  5. 0
  6. 3
  7. 1,980
  8. 707
  9. 16,000

Games to play at home

Digit swap

Write a number like 3,620. Ask what the 6 is worth. Move the 6 to a different place and ask again.

Which is worth more?

Write two numbers with the same digit in different places, like 6 in 3,620 and in 63. Which 6 is worth more, and how many times more?

Place value shopping

Pick a price. Ask your child to name the digit worth the most and the least.

A 5-day plan for place value and face value

Ten minutes a day is enough. Short, regular practice works far better than one long session.

By grade

US books ask for “the value of a digit” from grade 2 (2.NBT.A.1) and in grade 4 (4.NBT.A.1), where each place is 10 times the next. In India, face value and place value are named and tested from class 3 to class 5, with numbers up to lakhs.

CBSE families: see the class 4 parent guide for Thousands Around Us.

More for each grade: Grade 3 math and the CBSE class 3 maths guide; Grade 4 math and the CBSE class 4 maths guide; Grade 5 math and the CBSE class 5 maths guide.

What comes next

Next, learn about comparing numbers and rounding. Type any number into the place value calculator to see the face value and place value of every digit.

Worksheet and more practice

Print a free worksheet with an answer key, or keep practicing online with place value practice.

Printable worksheets: expanded form worksheet · number names worksheet · make a fresh place value test

← Number namesPlace value practice →

More: place value for kids · place value calculator · practice · place value chart · decimal place value

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Questions parents ask

What is the difference between place value and face value?

Face value is the digit itself. Place value is what the digit is worth in its place. In 3,620, the 6 has face value 6 and place value 600.

How do you find place value?

Multiply the digit by the value of its place. The 8 in 58,412 is in the thousands place, so its place value is 8 × 1,000 = 8,000.

What is the place value of 0?

Always 0. Its face value is also 0.

Is face value the same as place value?

Only for the ones digit. In 47, the 7 has face value 7 and place value 7.

What grade learns face value and place value?

Indian schools teach them by name in classes 3 to 5. US books call place value “the value of a digit” from grade 2.