2 times table: chart, doubles trick and practice

The 2 times table chart

Read the table out loud as sentences (“two times eight is sixteen”). Saying the whole fact, not just the answer, helps it stick. The third column shows the doubles fact hiding inside each one.

Times 2 means double

2 × 6 = 12 means 2 groups of 6, which is 6 + 6. So the 2 times table is really the doubles facts your child met in 1st and 2nd grade: 5 + 5, 6 + 6, 7 + 7. If those are solid, most of the 2s are already known. If not, spend a few days on our doubles facts guide first.

Doubles up to 10 live on your hands. Hold up the same number of fingers on each hand and count them all: 4 and 4 fingers make 8, so 2 × 4 = 8. For bigger numbers, double the tens and the ones separately: 12 is 10 and 2, double 10 is 20 and double 2 is 4, so 2 × 12 = 24.

Every answer is an even number

An even number is a number you can split into two equal groups, and that's exactly what the 2s are made of. So every answer in the 2 times table is even, and every even number up to 24 is somewhere in this table. Second graders learn to tell odd from even by pairing objects or counting by 2s (2.OA.C.3), which is perfect preparation.

The ones digits repeat in a loop: 2, 4, 6, 8, 0, then 2, 4, 6, 8, 0 again. That gives your child a quick self-check: if an answer in the 2s ends in 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9, it can't be right.

Halving: the 2s backward

Dividing by 2 is the same as halving, or sharing fairly between two people. Since 2 × 9 = 18, you know that 18 ÷ 2 = 9: 18 cookies shared by 2 friends is 9 each. Halving comes up everywhere in later math, from the 5s (5 × 8 = 40, which is half of 80) to fractions.

The 2s are also the building block for three later tables: ×4 is double, then double again; ×8 is double three times; and ×3 is ×2 plus one more group. Time spent on the 2s pays off all the way to the 8s.

Facts your child already knows from easier tables

Thanks to the turn-around rule, 2 × 1 is the same fact as 1 × 2, so every table your child learned earlier already covers part of the 2s. In our recommended order, the 2s come after the 1s, so 1 of the 12 facts is already known.

• 2 × 1 = 2from the 1s
• 2 × 2 = 4new · square
• 2 × 3 = 6new
• 2 × 4 = 8new
• 2 × 5 = 10new
• 2 × 6 = 12new
• 2 × 7 = 14new
• 2 × 8 = 16new
• 2 × 9 = 18new
• 2 × 10 = 20new
• 2 × 11 = 22with the 11s
• 2 × 12 = 24with the 12s

already knownnewonly if your school teaches the 11s and 12s

New in the 2s: 2 × 2 through 2 × 10, plus 2 × 11 = 22 and 2 × 12 = 24 if your child's school teaches the 11s and 12s.

The 2s pay you back right away: once they're known, every other table starts with two facts your child already has. In the 7s, for example, 7 × 1 = 7 and 7 × 2 = 14 are done before the 7s even start.

Common mistakes with the 2s (and quick fixes)

• Adding 2 instead of doubling. Answering 9 for 2 × 7. Say “2 groups of 7” and show it as 7 + 7.
• Doubling slips. 18 for 2 × 8, or 14 for 2 × 6. Use a ten-frame or fingers: 8 + 8 = 10 + 6 = 16.
• Losing count after 10. “10, 12, 13, 14…” Count by 2s along a number line or up the stairs, one step per number.
• Odd answers. Any 2s answer ending in 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9 is wrong. Teach your child to use that as a quick check.

The 2 times table in real life

Twos come in pairs: wheels on a bike, socks, shoes, mittens, eyes and ears. Ask “How many pairs? How many in all?” whenever you spot them.

Tap a story to see the answer. Ask your child to draw a quick picture first: groups, an array or a number line.

2 times table practice

Ten questions, mixed on purpose: some are turned around, and some have a missing number, like 2 × ? = 16. Tap a question to check the answer, and ask your child which trick they used. Finding a missing factor is how third graders start to think about division (3.OA.A.4).

1. 2 × 6 = ?Check

   2 × 6 = 12

2. 2 × 9 = ?Check

   2 × 9 = 18

3. 7 × 2 = ?Check

   7 × 2 = 14

4. 2 × ? = 16Check

   2 × 8 = 16

5. ? × 2 = 8Check

   4 × 2 = 8

6. 2 × 12 = ?Check

   2 × 12 = 24

7. 2 × ? = 22Check

   2 × 11 = 22

8. 2 × 4 = ?Check

   2 × 4 = 8

9. ? × 2 = 18Check

   9 × 2 = 18

10. 10 × 2 = ?Check

    10 × 2 = 20

Division facts for the 2s

Dividing by 2 means halving. Each fact in the 2 times table gives two division facts: 2 × 9 = 18, so 18 ÷ 2 = 9 and 18 ÷ 9 = 2.

1. 16 ÷ 2 = ?Check

   16 ÷ 2 = 8

2. 12 ÷ 2 = ?Check

   12 ÷ 2 = 6

3. 18 ÷ 2 = ?Check

   18 ÷ 2 = 9

4. 24 ÷ 2 = ?Check

   24 ÷ 2 = 12

5. 14 ÷ 7 = ?Check

   14 ÷ 7 = 2

6. 20 ÷ ? = 10Check

   20 ÷ 2 = 10

Want a printed set? Our times tables worksheets and division facts worksheets come with answer keys.