Greater Than, Less Than: How to Compare Numbers

Two numbers and a little symbol between them: 7 __ 4. Simple to us, but the greater-than and less-than signs trip up a surprising number of children — mostly because the symbols look almost the same. With one memorable trick and a bit of place-value thinking, comparing numbers becomes easy. Here's how.

What the symbols mean

There are just three: greater than (>), less than (<), and equal to (=). The tricky part is that > and < are mirror images, so the real skill is knowing which way the symbol should face.

The hungry alligator trick

Here's the classic that makes it stick: imagine the symbol is an alligator's mouth, and the alligator is always hungry for the bigger number. The open mouth turns to face the larger value; the pointy end faces the smaller one.

So for 7 and 4, the mouth opens toward the 7: 7 > 4. For 3 and 8, it opens toward the 8: 3 < 8. Say it aloud — 'the alligator eats the bigger number' — and the direction stops being a guess.

Comparing bigger numbers with place value

• Line the two numbers up by their places (ones under ones, tens under tens).
• Start at the leftmost (highest) place and compare those digits.
• The number with the larger digit in the first place that differs is the greater number.
• If a place is tied, move one step right and compare again.
• If every digit matches, the numbers are equal (=).

Make your own comparing numbers worksheets

Our comparing numbers generator makes a fresh worksheet of pairs to compare, with a mix that includes equal pairs too. Choose numbers to 20, 100, or 1000, play online by tapping >, <, or = with instant ✓ feedback and a celebration when the sheet is complete, or download a clean printable PDF with the answer key. It's free and needs no signup.