Maths, English and Science Glossary for Kids

Simple, kid-friendly meanings of 98 words children meet at school, each with an example and a free game to practise it.

Maths words · English words · Science and geography words

Maths words

Addition

Putting numbers together to find the total. Example: 4 + 3 = 7 Practise →

Subtraction

Taking one number away from another to find what is left, or finding the difference between two numbers. Example: 9 − 4 = 5 Practise →

Multiplication

Adding equal groups quickly. 3 × 4 means 3 groups of 4. Example: 3 × 4 = 12 Practise →

Division

Sharing into equal groups, or finding how many groups fit. Example: 12 ÷ 3 = 4 Practise →

Times table

The list of answers when you multiply a number by 1, 2, 3 and so on up to 12. Example: The 5 times table: 5, 10, 15, 20… Practise →

Product

The answer when you multiply numbers. Example: The product of 6 and 4 is 24. Practise →

Sum

The answer when you add numbers. Example: The sum of 8 and 5 is 13. Practise →

Difference

How much bigger one number is than another; the answer to a subtraction. Example: The difference between 10 and 7 is 3. Practise →

Quotient

The answer when you divide. Example: In 20 ÷ 4 = 5, the quotient is 5. Practise →

Remainder

What is left over when a number cannot be shared equally. Example: 13 ÷ 4 = 3 remainder 1 Practise →

Number bond

A pair of numbers that add up to a total, such as 10. Example: 3 + 7 = 10 Practise →

Place value

The value of a digit depends on its place in the number. Example: In 352, the 5 is worth 50. Practise →

Digit

One of the symbols 0 to 9 used to write numbers. Example: 472 has three digits. Practise →

Rounding

Changing a number to a nearby, simpler number, such as the nearest 10. Example: 47 rounds to 50. Practise →

Fraction

A number that shows part of a whole or part of a group. Example: 1/4 of a pizza Practise →

Numerator

The top number in a fraction. It shows how many parts you have. Example: In 3/4, the numerator is 3. Practise →

Denominator

The bottom number in a fraction. It shows how many equal parts the whole is split into. Example: In 3/4, the denominator is 4. Practise →

Equivalent fractions

Different fractions that show the same amount. Example: 1/2 = 2/4 = 4/8 Practise →

Decimal

A number with a decimal point, used for parts of a whole. Example: 0.5 is the same as one half. Practise →

Percentage

A number out of 100, shown with the % sign. Example: 50% means 50 out of 100, or half. Practise →

Factor

A number that divides into another number exactly. Example: The factors of 6 are 1, 2, 3 and 6. Practise →

Multiple

The answer you get when you multiply a number by a whole number. Example: Multiples of 4: 4, 8, 12, 16… Practise →

Prime number

A whole number greater than 1 with exactly two factors: 1 and itself. Example: 2, 3, 5, 7 and 11 are prime. Practise →

Square number

The answer when you multiply a number by itself. Example: 4 × 4 = 16, so 16 is a square number. Practise →

Even number

A whole number that can be shared into two equal groups. It ends in 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8. Example: 14 is even. Practise →

Odd number

A whole number that cannot be shared into two equal groups. It ends in 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9. Example: 15 is odd. Practise →

Pattern

Something that repeats or changes by a rule. Example: 2, 4, 6, 8 goes up by 2. Practise →

Negative number

A number less than zero, written with a minus sign. Example: −3 is three less than zero. Practise →

Number line

A straight line with numbers placed in order at equal spaces. Example: A number line from 0 to 10 Practise →

Perimeter

The total distance around the outside of a shape. Example: A 3 cm by 2 cm rectangle has a perimeter of 10 cm. Practise →

Area

The amount of space inside a flat shape, measured in squares. Example: A 3 cm by 2 cm rectangle has an area of 6 cm². Practise →

Angle

The amount of turn between two lines that meet at a point, measured in degrees. Example: A right angle is 90°. Practise →

Right angle

A square corner, exactly 90 degrees. Example: The corner of a book is a right angle. Practise →

Acute angle

An angle smaller than a right angle (less than 90°). Example: 45° is acute. Practise →

Obtuse angle

An angle bigger than a right angle but smaller than a straight line (between 90° and 180°). Example: 120° is obtuse. Practise →

Polygon

A flat shape with straight sides that are joined up. Example: Triangles, squares and hexagons are polygons. Practise →

Vertex

A corner where sides or edges meet. The plural is vertices. Example: A triangle has 3 vertices. Practise →

Symmetry

When one half of a shape is a mirror image of the other half. Example: A butterfly has a line of symmetry. Practise →

Pictograph

A graph that uses pictures to show data. Example: Each apple picture = 2 children. Practise →

Bar graph

A graph that uses bars of different heights to show and compare data. Example: A bar graph of favourite fruits Practise →

Tally

A quick way to count using marks, crossing every fifth mark. Example: Four marks with one line across them means 5. Practise →

Analogue clock

A clock with hands that point to numbers around a circle. Example: The long hand on 12 means o’clock. Practise →

Quarter past

Fifteen minutes after the hour. Example: Quarter past 3 is 3:15. Practise →

English words

Noun

A word for a person, place, animal or thing. Example: dog, school, Mia Practise →

Proper noun

The name of a particular person, place or thing. It starts with a capital letter. Example: Sydney, Monday, Sam Practise →

Verb

A doing or being word. Example: run, jump, is Practise →

Adjective

A word that describes a noun. Example: a fluffy cat Practise →

Adverb

A word that tells how, when or where something happens. Many end in -ly. Example: She ran quickly. Practise →

Pronoun

A word used instead of a noun. Example: he, she, it, they Practise →

Conjunction

A joining word that links words or parts of a sentence. Example: and, but, because Practise →

Synonym

A word that means the same, or nearly the same, as another word. Example: big and large Practise →

Antonym

A word that means the opposite of another word. Example: hot and cold Practise →

Homophone

Words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings. Example: there, their and they’re Practise →

Rhyme

Words that end with the same sound. Example: cat, hat, mat Practise →

Syllable

A beat in a word. Each syllable has one vowel sound. Example: but-ter-fly has 3 syllables. Practise →

Vowel

The letters a, e, i, o and u (and sometimes y). Example: The vowels in "rain" are a and i. Practise →

Consonant

Any letter that is not a vowel. Example: b, c, d, f, g… Practise →

Phonics

Learning the sounds that letters make and blending them to read words. Example: c-a-t makes cat. Practise →

Digraph

Two letters that make one sound. Example: sh, ch, th, ck Practise →

Blending

Saying the sounds in a word one after another and joining them to read the word. Example: sh-i-p → ship Practise →

Sight word

A common word children learn to recognise instantly, often because it is hard to sound out. Example: the, said, was Practise →

Prefix

Letters added to the start of a word to change its meaning. Example: un + happy = unhappy Practise →

Suffix

Letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning or use. Example: care + ful = careful Practise →

Root word

The main part of a word, before any prefix or suffix is added. Example: play in replaying Practise →

Compound word

Two words joined to make a new word. Example: sun + flower = sunflower Practise →

Apostrophe

A punctuation mark (’) that shows missing letters or that something belongs to someone. Example: don’t; the dog’s bone Practise →

Comma

A punctuation mark (,) used to separate items in a list or parts of a sentence. Example: apples, pears and plums Practise →

Full stop

A punctuation mark (.) that ends a statement. In American English it is called a period. Example: The cat sat down. Practise →

Question mark

A punctuation mark (?) that ends a question. Example: Where are you going? Practise →

Inference

Working out something the text does not say directly, using clues. Example: Her umbrella was dripping, so it was raining. Practise →

Comprehension

Understanding what you read. Example: Answering questions about a story Practise →

Analogy

A comparison showing how two pairs of words are related in the same way. Example: Bird is to nest as bee is to hive. Practise →

Science and geography words

Planet

A large, round object that travels around a star. Earth is a planet that travels around the Sun. Example: Mars, Jupiter and Earth are planets. Practise →

Orbit

The curved path an object takes as it travels around another object in space. Example: The Moon orbits Earth about once a month. Practise →

Gravity

The pulling force that makes things fall to the ground and keeps planets in orbit. Example: A dropped ball falls because of gravity. Practise →

Solid

A state of matter that keeps its own shape. Example: Ice, wood and rock are solids. Practise →

Liquid

A state of matter that flows and takes the shape of its container. Example: Water, milk and juice are liquids. Practise →

Gas

A state of matter that spreads out to fill any space. Most gases are invisible. Example: The air we breathe is a mix of gases. Practise →

Evaporation

When a liquid is heated and turns into a gas. Example: Puddles dry up on a sunny day because of evaporation. Practise →

Condensation

When a gas cools and turns back into a liquid. Example: Drops of water form on a cold glass. Practise →

Melting

When a solid is heated and turns into a liquid. Example: Ice cream melts in the sun. Practise →

Photosynthesis

How green plants use sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to make their own food. Example: Leaves capture sunlight for photosynthesis. Practise →

Germination

When a seed starts to grow into a new plant. Example: A bean seed germinates in damp cotton wool. Practise →

Pollination

Moving pollen from one flower to another so seeds can form. Bees help with this. Example: A bee carries pollen between flowers. Practise →

Mammal

A warm-blooded animal with hair or fur that feeds its babies milk. Example: Dogs, whales and humans are mammals. Practise →

Reptile

A cold-blooded animal with dry, scaly skin. Most lay eggs on land. Example: Snakes, lizards and turtles are reptiles. Practise →

Amphibian

An animal that usually starts life in water and can live on land as an adult. Example: Frogs and newts are amphibians. Practise →

Habitat

The natural home of a plant or animal. Example: A coral reef is a habitat for many fish. Practise →

Food chain

A diagram showing what eats what, starting with a plant. Example: Grass → rabbit → fox Practise →

Predator

An animal that hunts other animals for food. Example: An owl is a predator of mice. Practise →

Prey

An animal that is hunted and eaten by another animal. Example: A mouse is prey for an owl. Practise →

Skeleton

The frame of bones that supports and protects the body. Example: The human skeleton has 206 bones. Practise →

Muscle

Body tissue that tightens and relaxes to make the body move. Example: Your heart is a muscle that pumps blood. Practise →

Continent

One of the very large areas of land on Earth. Example: Africa and Asia are continents. Practise →

Equator

An imaginary line around the middle of Earth, halfway between the North and South Poles. Example: Countries near the equator are usually hot. Practise →

Capital city

The city where a country’s or state’s government is based. Example: Canberra is the capital of Australia. Practise →

Circuit

A complete loop that electricity flows around. Example: A bulb lights up when the circuit is complete. Practise →

Reflection

When light bounces off a surface, such as a mirror. Example: You see yourself in a mirror because of reflection. Practise →