How do I help a child remember > and <?

The open end always faces the larger number, so the symbol widens towards “more”. Reading the whole statement aloud – "forty-three is greater than thirty-four" – fixes it faster than drilling the symbol on its own.

Why are the number pairs deliberately awkward?

Pairs like 43 and 34, or 208 and 280, use the same digits in a different order, and about one pair in seven is equal. A child who compares only the first digit gets those wrong, which is exactly the habit the sheet is meant to break.

Which limit suits which grade?

Within 10 and 20 for grade 1, within 100 for grade 2, and within 1000 for grade 3. Comparing longer numbers is really a place-value exercise, so raise the limit only once shorter pairs are quick.

Comparison Worksheets

Q: How do I help a child remember > and <?

The open end always faces the larger number, so the symbol widens towards “more”. Reading the whole statement aloud – "forty-three is greater than thirty-four" – fixes it faster than drilling the symbol on its own.

Q: Why are the number pairs deliberately awkward?

Pairs like 43 and 34, or 208 and 280, use the same digits in a different order, and about one pair in seven is equal. A child who compares only the first digit gets those wrong, which is exactly the habit the sheet is meant to break.

Q: Which limit suits which grade?

Within 10 and 20 for grade 1, within 100 for grade 2, and within 1000 for grade 3. Comparing longer numbers is really a place-value exercise, so raise the limit only once shorter pairs are quick.

Greater than, less than, equal · Grades 1–3

Pairs of numbers to compare with >, < or =. The generator deliberately picks tricky pairs: swapped digits (43 vs 34), repeated digits, off-by-one neighbours and about 15% equal pairs, so children have to read every digit instead of guessing from the first one. In True or false mode the sign is already written and the child marks in the box whether the comparison is right (✓) or wrong (✗).

Skills: comparing numbers, place value, inequality symbols. Format: printable, randomized on every load.

Sheets are randomized, free to print, and carry no answer key on purpose – why Super Awesome Math works this way.

How to do it

Comparing two whole numbers is decided by place value, not by how long or how familiar they look: count the digits first, then read left to right until they differ.

Count the digits in each number. More digits means a bigger number, so 132 beats 99 without reading further.
If both have the same number of digits, compare the leftmost digits. In 43 and 34, four tens beats three tens and nothing else matters.
If those match, move one place right and compare again, repeating until a pair differs. That first difference decides it.
Write the symbol so that its open side faces the larger number: 43 > 34, and 34 < 43. If every digit matched, the numbers are equal.

Where it goes wrong

Swapped digits. 43 and 34 use the same digits, so the pair has to be read by position rather than recognised by shape.
Turning the symbol round. The wide end always opens towards the bigger number, and the point always aims at the smaller one.

Frequently asked questions

How do I help a child remember > and <?: The open end always faces the larger number, so the symbol widens towards “more”. Reading the whole statement aloud – "forty-three is greater than thirty-four" – fixes it faster than drilling the symbol on its own.
Why are the number pairs deliberately awkward?: Pairs like 43 and 34, or 208 and 280, use the same digits in a different order, and about one pair in seven is equal. A child who compares only the first digit gets those wrong, which is exactly the habit the sheet is meant to break.
Which limit suits which grade?: Within 10 and 20 for grade 1, within 100 for grade 2, and within 1000 for grade 3. Comparing longer numbers is really a place-value exercise, so raise the limit only once shorter pairs are quick.

Settings

Limit: within 10, 20, 100 or 1000
Columns: number of problem columns per page
Practice: write the sign, or mark a given comparison true or false

Example problems

43 ? 34
17 ? 17
208 ? 280
99 ? 100
43 < 34 □

More Number sense

Factors & Primes – Prime factorization, GCD and LCM, prime or composite
Squares & Square Roots – Squares, roots of perfect squares, simplifying radicals