3rd Grade Comparing Large Numbers Worksheet: Less Than, Greater Than, Equal

Is 9,382 bigger than 10,371? The first digit says yes, and the first digit is wrong. This 3rd grade comparing large numbers worksheet trains children to look before they decide. It has fourteen pairs of numbers, from 35 and 26 up to 79,121, with an empty box between each pair. Your child writes <, > or = in the box. Three pairs are exactly the same number, so the equal sign gets used too. A second page gives the answer key.

Count the digits first, then compare

A number with more digits is always bigger. So the first question is simple: how many digits does each number have?

When both numbers have the same number of digits, compare them from the left, one place at a time. 3,389 and 3,398 match in the thousands and the hundreds. The tens decide: 8 tens is less than 9 tens.

This is place value at work. It also prepares third graders for rounding and for ordering numbers on a number line.

At the table: the traps on the right side

Start with pair n, 35 and 26. Ask your child to read the sign aloud: "35 is greater than 26."

Then look at pair a. Some children see 9 and 1 and write "greater than." Ask, "How many digits does each number have?" Then wait.

Pair j, 8,009 and 9,008, uses the same digits in a new order. Pair k changes only the tens. Both reward a child who checks place by place.

The page calls all three signs "inequality signs." The equal sign is a comparison symbol too, which is worth a short chat.

Finally, check all fourteen together with the answer key.

Prices, steps and scores

Comparing numbers is part of daily life. At the store, compare two prices and ask which is less. On a step counter, compare today with yesterday.

You can also play a quick card game. Each player draws four cards and builds the biggest number possible. The players read their numbers aloud, and the bigger one wins the round.

Once the page is complete, name the effort: "You looked at every digit, even when the first one tried to trick you."