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Subtraction word problems for 3rd grade

These subtraction word problems are great for ages 8 and older who are looking to improve their subtracting skills.

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What is the difference between 54 and 45?

Zalta has 7 eggs and two empty cartons. Each carton holds six eggs. How many more eggs does she need to fill both cartons?

  • Answer

    5

  • Explanation

    Both cartons can hold a total of 12 eggs. Zalta currently has 7 eggs.
    So 12 - 7 = 5
    She needs 5 more eggs.

Roger played 10 tennis matches over February and March. If he played 4 tennis matches in February, how many matches did he play in March?

  • Answer

    6

  • Explanation

    10 matches overall - 4 matches played in March = 6 matches played in February

Subtract 11 from 35

What is the difference between 66 and 38?

Which number is 7 less than 22?

Ross has 13 apples. He gets a few more and ends up with 20.
How many more apples did he receive?

Sarah had 6 T-shirts and then bought a few more so that she had 10 T-shirts in total.
How many new T-shirts did she buy?

  • Answer

    4

  • Explanation

    Subtract the number of T-Shirts Sarah had at the beginning from the Total number of T-shirts after she bought new ones, to find the difference:
    10 - 6 = 4

Jason picked 43 flowers while Clara was only able to pick 29. How many more flowers does Jason have than Clara?

Olivia has $71 which is $32 more than what Isla has. How much money does Isla have?