Place Value

Read a Three-Digit Number

Read 374 by identifying its hundreds digit (3), tens digit (7), and ones digit (4). Each digit's place tells you how much it contributes to the total.

Example

Read 374 by naming each digit's place value.

highlighted = computed this step

Step 1 — Set up

Start with the place-value chart.

hundredstensones374\begin{array}{c|c|c}\text{hundreds}&\text{tens}&\text{ones}\\3&7&4\end{array}
Start with 374hundredsdigit 3100100100value 300tensdigit 710101010101010value 70onesdigit 41111value 43 hundreds + 7 tens + 4 onesSplit the number into hundreds, tens, and ones.

Step 2 — Read places

Read 374: 3 hundreds, 7 tens, and 4 ones.

hundredstensones374\begin{array}{c|c|c}\text{hundreds}&\text{tens}&\text{ones}\\\hl{3}&\hl{7}&\hl{4}\end{array}
374: 3 hundreds, 7 tens, 4 oneshundredsdigit 3100100100value 300tensdigit 710101010101010value 70onesdigit 41111value 43 hundreds + 7 tens + 4 onesEach digit gets its value from its column.

Step 3 — Hundreds value

Hundreds: 3 x 100 = 300.

hundredstensones374,3⋅100=300\begin{array}{c|c|c}\text{hundreds}&\text{tens}&\text{ones}\\3&7&4\end{array},\quad 3\cdot 100=\hl{300}
3 hundreds = 300hundredsdigit 3100100100value 300tensdigit 710101010101010value 70onesdigit 41111value 43 hundreds + 7 tens + 4 onesThe first digit names 3 hundreds.

Step 4 — Tens value

Tens: 7 x 10 = 70.

hundredstensones374,7⋅10=70\begin{array}{c|c|c}\text{hundreds}&\text{tens}&\text{ones}\\3&7&4\end{array},\quad 7\cdot 10=\hl{70}
7 tens = 70hundredsdigit 3100100100value 300tensdigit 710101010101010value 70onesdigit 41111value 43 hundreds + 7 tens + 4 onesThe middle digit names 7 tens.

Step 5 — Ones value

Ones: 4 x 1 = 4.

hundredstensones374,4⋅1=4\begin{array}{c|c|c}\text{hundreds}&\text{tens}&\text{ones}\\3&7&4\end{array},\quad 4\cdot 1=\hl{4}
4 ones = 4hundredsdigit 3100100100value 300tensdigit 710101010101010value 70onesdigit 41111value 43 hundreds + 7 tens + 4 onesThe last digit names 4 ones.

Step 6 — Result

Add the place values: 300 + 70 + 4 = 374.

374=300+70+4374=300+70+4
Read 374: three hundred seventy fourhundredsdigit 3100100100value 300tensdigit 710101010101010value 70onesdigit 41111value 4three hundred seventy fourSay the parts together: three hundred seventy four.
place-value Each digit in a number has a place: hundreds, tens, and ones. The place tells you how much each digit is worth. In 374, the 3 is worth 300, the 7 is worth 70, and the 4 is worth 4.