Subtraction word problems – up to 18
Learn with an example
Ben has 11 toys in his toy box. One day, he knocks the toy box over and 7 toys spill onto the floor. How many toys are still in the box?
Subtract the number of toys spilt on the floor from the original number of toys.
Subtract:
11 – 7
You can count backwards to subtract. Start from 11 and count back 7.
11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4
11 – 4 = 7
The difference is 4. There are 4 toys still in the box.
Last year, Kelly’s cats caught a total of 18 mice and birds. Her cats caught 9 mice. How many birds did Kelly’s cats catch last year?
Subtract the number of mice caught from the total number of animals.
Subtract:
18 – 9
You can count backwards to subtract. Start from 18 and count back 9.
18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9
18 – 9 = 9
The difference is 9. Kelly’s cats caught 9 birds last year.
Clare works at a women’s clothing store. Yesterday, a total of 13 customers shopped at the store and 9 bought skirts. How many customers did not buy skirts?
Subtract the number of customers who bought skirts from the total number of customers.
Subtract:
13 – 9
You can count backwards to subtract. Start from 13 and count back 9.
13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4
13 – 9 = 4
The difference is 4. There were 4 customers who did not buy skirts.
Let’s practice!🖊️
