8 times table

The 8 times table and its pattern

The 8 times table, or multiplication by 8, is 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 72, 80, 88, 96. Read the last digits: 8, 6, 4, 2, 0, and again 8, 6, 4, 2, 0. Every answer is even, and the ones digit goes down by 2 each time. It is a 3rd grade table in the US and a Year 3 table in England, where it is taught with the 4 times table.

Multiplication by 8: double, double, double

The quickest way to multiplication by 8 is doubling. 8 is 2 × 2 × 2, so 8 × 9 means 9 → 18 → 36 → 72. If your child already knows the 4 times table, one double is enough: 4 × 7 = 28, so 8 × 7 = 56. The third worksheet on this page practices the doubling steps on paper, with an answer key.

The hard ones: 8 × 6, 8 × 7, 8 × 8

48, 56 and 64 are the answers children mix up most. 8 × 8 = 64 is a square, and squares are easy to picture: an 8 by 8 chessboard has 64 squares. For 8 × 7 = 56, the "5, 6, 7, 8" rhyme works here too.

8 times table games

Play the trainer for the 8 times table with a keypad, then switch to the gates runner: the crowd grows when the child picks the gate with the bigger product, and a wall of 50 at the end needs 8 × 7, not 8 × 4. The speed test keeps the best score in this browser, so tomorrow's round is a race against today. When 18 of 20 test answers are right, print the diploma.

A tip for parents

Ask for the facts in reverse as well: "8 times what is 72?" A child who can answer that knows the 8 times table, not just the song, and is ready for division facts. Two or three reverse questions a day are enough.