Place values

key notes:

Numbers are made up of digits. A digit’s spot in a number is its place. The place of a digit tells its value.

Here’s an example.

🥏 The number 643 is made up of 6 hundreds, 4 tens, and 3 ones. You can show 643 with place value blocks:

You can also show 643 in a place value chart:

A place-value chart with a 6 in the hundreds place, a 4 in the tens place, and a 3 in the ones place.

The digit 6 in the hundreds place has a value of 600.

The digit 4 in the tens place has a value of 40.

The digit 3 in the ones place has a value of 3.

🔷Place value up to the millions place:

You can use place value charts with larger numbers, too! Try it for 2,527,931.

A place-value chart with a 2 in the millions place, a 5 in the hundred-thousands place, a 2 in the ten-thousands place, a 7 in the thousands place, a 9 in the hundreds place, a 3 in the tens place, and a 1 in the ones place.

You can use this chart to tell the place and value of all of the digits in this number. For example, the 5 in the hundred-thousands place has a value of 500,000.

🔴Number periods

When you write bigger numbers, you put a comma between each group of three digits. Those groups of three digits are called periods.

The table below shows the number 403,196,825 with the name of each period.

A place-value chart with the number four hundred three million, one hundred ninety-six thousand, eight hundred twenty-five. Each period is labeled. The digits four, zero, and three are in the millions. The digits one, nine, and six are in the thousands. The digits eight, two, and five are in the ones.

Learn with an example

▶️ Which place-value model shows 2,690?

Find the model that shows 2,690.

This model has 2 thousands, 6 hundreds, 9 tens, and 0 ones. It shows 2,690.

This model has 6 hundreds, 9 tens, and 2 ones. It shows 692.

▶️ Which place-value model shows 988?

Find the model that shows 988.

This model has 8 hundreds, 8 tens, and 8 ones. It shows 888.


This model has 9 hundreds, 8 tens, and 8 ones. It shows 988.

Which place-value model shows 320?

Find the model that shows 320.

This model has 3 hundreds, 2 tens, and 0 ones. It shows 320.

This model has 3 hundreds, 0 tens, and 2 ones. It shows 302.

Let’s practice!