Ways to use this list
- Fact families: spin "13 − 5", then the class writes the other three facts: 13 − 8, 5 + 8 and 8 + 5.
- Number line jumps: children stand on the first number of a floor number line and hop back to find the answer.
- Subtraction wheel activity for class 2: pairs take turns to spin and race to write the answer on whiteboards.
- Borrowing practice for class 3: press 2-digit, regrouping and solve each spin in columns on squared paper.
- Count on instead of back: for 15 − 12, show that counting up from 12 to 15 is quicker than taking away 12.
Press Spin the wheel, tap the game or press the Space bar. Change the list in the box as you
like: add your own, delete what doesn't suit you, or write *2 after an entry to give it double the
chance. The game buttons switch the same list to a duck race, hat, claw machine and more.
The full list (81 entries)
- 2 − 1
- 3 − 1
- 3 − 2
- 4 − 1
- 4 − 2
- 4 − 3
- 5 − 1
- 5 − 2
- 5 − 3
- 5 − 4
- 6 − 1
- 6 − 2
- 6 − 3
- 6 − 4
- 6 − 5
- 7 − 1
- 7 − 2
- 7 − 3
- 7 − 4
- 7 − 5
- 7 − 6
- 8 − 1
- 8 − 2
- 8 − 3
- 8 − 4
- 8 − 5
- 8 − 6
- 8 − 7
- 9 − 1
- 9 − 2
- 9 − 3
- 9 − 4
- 9 − 5
- 9 − 6
- 9 − 7
- 9 − 8
- 10 − 1
- 10 − 2
- 10 − 3
- 10 − 4
- 10 − 5
- 10 − 6
- 10 − 7
- 10 − 8
- 10 − 9
- 11 − 2
- 11 − 3
- 11 − 4
- 11 − 5
- 11 − 6
- 11 − 7
- 11 − 8
- 11 − 9
- 12 − 3
- 12 − 4
- 12 − 5
- 12 − 6
- 12 − 7
- 12 − 8
- 12 − 9
- 13 − 4
- 13 − 5
- 13 − 6
- 13 − 7
- 13 − 8
- 13 − 9
- 14 − 5
- 14 − 6
- 14 − 7
- 14 − 8
- 14 − 9
- 15 − 6
- 15 − 7
- 15 − 8
- 15 − 9
- 16 − 7
- 16 − 8
- 16 − 9
- 17 − 8
- 17 − 9
- 18 − 9
📖 Related guide: How to run a fair raffle or giveaway draw
Questions people ask
Can the subtraction wheel give negative answers?
No. In every list the first number is the larger one, so each answer is a whole number of 1 or more. That keeps the facts right for children who have not met negative numbers yet.
Is regrouping the same as borrowing?
Yes, they are two names for one idea. When the top digit is smaller, as in 52 − 27, you exchange one ten for ten ones. US schools call it regrouping; many UK and Indian classrooms say borrowing or exchanging.
How many basic subtraction facts are there?
Counting every take-away that undoes an addition of two numbers from 1 to 9, there are 81, from 2 − 1 up to 18 − 9. That is exactly the main list on this page.
Which subtraction facts should children learn first?
Start with Within 10 and Take from 10. Once those feel easy, move on to the teen facts such as 14 − 6, which ask children to cross ten.