Learn the 3-Step Method
1Find the decimal point.
Everything to the left is whole numbers. Everything to the right is parts.
2Read the tenths.
The first digit after the point counts tenths — pieces of a whole split into 10.
3Read the hundredths.
The next digit counts hundredths — pieces of a whole split into 100.
Worked Example
What does 3.47 mean?
Watch Out! Common Mistakes
Wrong! 0.7 is seven tenths — less than 1. The point means the 7 counts parts, not wholes.
Wrong! 0.7 is 7 tenths but 0.07 is 7 hundredths — ten times smaller.
Not quite! Read each digit: “three point four seven”. The digits have different place values.
⬇ Cheat Sheet
- The decimal point separates wholes from parts.
- 1st digit after the point = tenths (1/10).
- 2nd digit after the point = hundredths (1/100).
- Read digits one at a time: 3.47 = ‘three point four seven’.
📖 Continue Your Journey
Quick summary
- A decimal shows part of a whole number — the decimal point separates wholes from parts.
- The first digit after the point counts tenths: 0.7 = 7/10.
- The second digit counts hundredths: 0.07 = 7/100.
- Read decimals digit by digit: 3.47 is ‘three point four seven’.
Frequently asked questions
What is a decimal in simple words?
A decimal is a way of writing numbers that are in between whole numbers. The decimal point separates the whole-number part from the fraction part — so 3.5 means 3 and a half.
What do the digits after the decimal point mean?
The first digit after the point counts tenths (0.1 = 1/10), the second counts hundredths (0.01 = 1/100), and the third counts thousandths.
When do children learn decimals at school?
In England, children meet tenths and hundredths in Years 3–4, and work with decimals up to three decimal places, including calculations, in Years 5–6.
Continue your child's learning journey
with the MindBlaze app.
Fun daily learning missions for children. Clear progress insights for parents — helping every child start secondary school ready to learn.
