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Subtraction word problems for 4th grade

These subtraction word problems are great for ages 9 and older who are looking to improve their subtracting skills.

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What is the walking distance from my house to school if Jimmy’s house is 300 m from school, but my house is 25 m closer to school than Jimmy?

  • Answer

    275 m

  • Explanation

    Jimmy’s house is 300 m from school, but my house is 25 m closer.
    Therefore the formula is, 300 - 25 = 275
    So the walking distance from school to my house is 275 m.

The height of a triangle is 24 inches. The height of a square is 33 inches. How much higher is the square than the triangle?

A boat takes 3 hours and 30 minutes to travel across the river. A car takes 1 hour and 30 minutes to travel over the bridge across the river. How much faster is the car than the boat?

  • Answer

    2 hours

  • Explanation

    Subtract the time it takes for the car to travel, from the time it takes the boat to travel:
    3 hours 30 minutes - 1 hour 30 minutes = 2 hours

You buy a new t-shirt with three $10 bills. You receive two $5 bills and three $1 bills as change. How much did the t-shirt cost?

  • Answer

    $17

  • Explanation

    You paid $30 (3 x $10)
    You receive $13 change (2 x $5 and $1 x 3)
    $30 - $13 = $17

In the last two weeks, Timmy missed one day of school. He doesn’t go to school on the weekend. How many days did he spend at school?

  • Answer

    9 days

  • Explanation

    There are 14 days in two weeks. 4 of those days are weekend days.
    There are therefore 10 school days and Timmy missed one.
    10 - 1 = 9

Kai turned 11 in 2007. In what year was he born?

In a family, there are two sisters and one brother. The brother is 19cm taller than the older sister and is 51cm taller than the younger sister. The brother is 166cm tall. How tall is the younger sister?

  • Answer

    96 cm

  • Explanation

    Do each calculation separately:
    The brother: 166 cm
    The older sister: 166cm - 19 cm = 147 cm
    The younger sister: 147 cm - 51 cm = 96 cm

Subtract 15 from 63

Which of the following results in 75?
22 + 88 - 23
113 - 40 + 13
50 + 50 - 35
75 + 10 - 15
83 - 18 + 10

I play soccer every day except on weekends. How many times will I play soccer in two weeks?

  • Answer

    10

  • Explanation

    There are 14 days in two weeks.
    There are 2 days per weekend, therefore 4 weekend days in two weeks.
    14 - 4 = 10