What does subtract mean?
Word: Subtract
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Subtract means to take one number away from another to find what is left. For example, if you subtract 3 from 10, you get 7.
Synonyms: deduct, take away, minus
How do you spell subtract?
Syllables: sub - tract
Tricky part: The word ends in ct, never ck. The t after the c is easy to hear in subtraction.
Watch out for: subtrack, subtrakt, sutract
Memory tip: Say subtraction slowly and you can hear the t after the c: that is why subtract ends in ct and not ck.
Subtract in a sentence
Example 1: Subtract the price of the pen from the money you have.
Example 2: Arjun can subtract two-digit numbers in his head.
Example 3: When you subtract 9 from 9, nothing is left.
Fun Fact
The plus and minus signs first appeared in print in a German arithmetic book by Johannes Widmann in 1489, where they marked amounts that were over or short.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) substract
b) remainder
c) multiply
d) division
Show answer
a) substract. There is no s in the middle of the word: it goes straight from the b to the t.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word:
subtract
a) add
b) remove
c) reduce
d) divide
Show answer
a) add. Remove and reduce both make an amount smaller, and divide splits it up; add is the opposite of subtract.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
s_btr_ct
a) o, a
b) a, a
c) u, a
d) u, e
Show answer
c) u, a. The first gap takes the u of sum and the second the a of cat.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
tcrasbut
a) subtract
b) scrubs
c) substance
d) stardust
Show answer
a) subtract. Stardust needs a d, substance an n and an e, and scrubs a second s; these eight letters make subtract.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Nora had 12 marbles and gave away 5. Which of these shows how many she has left?
a) 12 x 5
b) 5 - 12
c) 12 - 5
d) 12 + 5
Show answer
c) 12 - 5
2. The answer you get when you subtract is called the ____.
a) sum
b) difference
c) product
d) total
Show answer
b) difference
