6 times table: chart, tricks and practice

The 6 times table chart

Here's the full table. The third column shows the five-plus-one trick, which works for every fact in the 6s, including bigger ones like 6 × 12.

Trick 1: five groups plus one more

Six groups is five groups and one more group. Your child already knows the 5s, so they only add one more of the number:

• 6 × 6 = 30 + 6 = 36
• 6 × 7 = 35 + 7 = 42
• 6 × 8 = 40 + 8 = 48
• 6 × 12 = 60 + 12 = 72

This is the break-apart strategy, and it's the one we suggest learning first, because the 5s are usually rock solid by the time kids reach the 6s.

Trick 2: double the 3s

Six is double three, so every 6s answer is double the 3s answer. 3 × 8 = 24, so 6 × 8 is double 24, which is 48. 3 × 7 = 21, so 6 × 7 is double 21: 42. Kids who know their 3s well often prefer this one.

The even-number pattern

Here's a pattern kids love to discover. When you multiply 6 by an even number, the answer ends in that same digit:

• 6 × 2 = 12
• 6 × 4 = 24
• 6 × 6 = 36
• 6 × 8 = 48

For 2, 4, 6 and 8 there's a bonus: the tens digit is half the number. 6 × 8 ends in 8, and half of 8 is 4, so the answer is 48. The ones-digit part keeps working for bigger even numbers (6 × 10 = 60, 6 × 12 = 72), but the tens-digit part stops at 8.

Why does it work? 6 times a number is 5 times the number plus the number itself. When the number is even, 5 times it always ends in 0, so the ones digit comes only from the number you added: 6 × 8 = 48, which is 40 + 8.

One more check: every 6s answer is even, and its digits add up to 3, 6 or 9, because the 6s are also in the 2s and the 3s. For 42, 4 + 2 = 6. For 54, 5 + 4 = 9.

Facts your child already knows from easier tables

Thanks to the turn-around rule, 6 × 9 is the same fact as 9 × 6, so every table your child learned earlier already covers part of the 6s. In our recommended order, the 6s come after the 1s, 2s, 10s, 5s, 3s, 4s and 9s, so 7 of the 12 facts are already known.

• 6 × 1 = 6from the 1s
• 6 × 2 = 12from the 2s
• 6 × 3 = 18from the 3s
• 6 × 4 = 24from the 4s
• 6 × 5 = 30from the 5s
• 6 × 6 = 36new · square
• 6 × 7 = 42new
• 6 × 8 = 48new
• 6 × 9 = 54from the 9s
• 6 × 10 = 60from the 10s
• 6 × 11 = 66with the 11s
• 6 × 12 = 72with the 12s

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

New in the 6s: 6 × 6 = 36, 6 × 7 = 42 and 6 × 8 = 48, plus 6 × 11 = 66 and 6 × 12 = 72 if your child's school teaches the 11s and 12s.

That's why the 6s feel easier than they look: by the time you get here, more than half the table is done. The three new facts, 6 × 6 = 36, 6 × 7 = 42 and 6 × 8 = 48, are worth a few minutes of practice every day for a week or two.

Common mistakes with the 6s (and quick fixes)

• Swapping 42 and 48. 6 × 7 and 6 × 8 are easy to mix up. Practice them as a ladder: 6 × 6 = 36, add 6 to get 42, add 6 again to get 48.
• Mixing up 54 and 56. 6 × 9 = 54 and 7 × 8 = 56 sound alike. Put the two cards side by side and talk about the difference: 54 is in the 6s and 9s, 56 is in the 7s and 8s.
• Adding 5 instead of 6 while skip counting. “6, 12, 18, 23…” Every 6s answer is even, so 23 can't be right.
• Forgetting the extra group. Answering 35 for 6 × 7, which is 5 × 7. Say the whole trick: “five 7s, plus one more 7.”

The 6 times table in real life

Sixes hide in insects (every insect has 6 legs), half-dozen egg cartons, six-packs of juice boxes and the faces of a die.

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

6 times table practice

Ten questions, mixed on purpose: some are turned around, and some have a missing number, like 6 × ? = 54. 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. 6 × 6 = ?Check

   6 × 6 = 36

2. 6 × 7 = ?Check

   6 × 7 = 42

3. 8 × 6 = ?Check

   8 × 6 = 48

4. 6 × ? = 54Check

   6 × 9 = 54

5. ? × 6 = 24Check

   4 × 6 = 24

6. 6 × 12 = ?Check

   6 × 12 = 72

7. 3 × 6 = ?Check

   3 × 6 = 18

8. 6 × ? = 66Check

   6 × 11 = 66

9. ? × 6 = 30Check

   5 × 6 = 30

10. 2 × 6 = ?Check

    2 × 6 = 12

Division facts for the 6s

Use the 6s backward to divide by 6. For 48 ÷ 6, ask “6 times what is 48?” Since 6 × 8 = 48, the answer is 8.

1. 42 ÷ 6 = ?Check

   42 ÷ 6 = 7

2. 48 ÷ 6 = ?Check

   48 ÷ 6 = 8

3. 54 ÷ 6 = ?Check

   54 ÷ 6 = 9

4. 36 ÷ 6 = ?Check

   36 ÷ 6 = 6

5. 42 ÷ 7 = ?Check

   42 ÷ 7 = 6

6. 72 ÷ ? = 12Check

   72 ÷ 6 = 12

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