2 Times Table
The 2 times table is just doubling — adding a number to itself. It is the first table most children truly own, and it quietly does a lot of work later on.
Counting up in 2s: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20
Visual Explorer
Click any line in the table on the left to see it visualised below!
Choose objects:
2 × 1 = 2
1 group of 2 = 2 stars!
Test Yourself
Fill in every answer, then press Check Answers to see how you did.
The clever bit
Doubling is the same as adding the number to itself
Doubling and “times 2” are the same move wearing different hats:
- 2 × 6 means two groups of six → 6 + 6 = 12
- 2 × 9 means two groups of nine → 9 + 9 = 18
Because you are always making a pair of something, every answer is even. That is a useful check: if you ever land on an odd number in the 2 times table, something has gone astray.
There is a neat shortcut hiding in the bigger numbers. To double 9, notice that 9 is one less than 10. Double 10 is 20, and you have doubled that missing 1 as well, so take 2 away: 18. The same move handles double 19 (20 × 2 = 40, minus 2 = 38) and it keeps working with much larger numbers too.
Learn this one properly and you have secretly started the 4 and 8 times tables, because 4 is double twice and 8 is double three times.
Step one
Practise the 2 times table
Pick the answer you think is right. Nothing is timed and nothing is scored — this part is just for getting comfortable.
Practice needs JavaScript switched on. You can still read the whole table above — it works everywhere.
Step two
Take the 2 times table quiz
Ten questions, typed in. Get any wrong and you can practise just those straight afterwards.
The quiz needs JavaScript switched on. You can still read the whole table above — it works everywhere.
The ones people trip on
Most mistakes in the 2 times table land on these. Each one has a way in.
2 × 7 = 14
Seven and seven. Think of two hands with seven fingers up on each: 7 + 7 = 14.
2 × 9 = 18
Nine is one less than ten. Double ten is 20, so double nine is two less: 18.
Where the 2 times table shows up
Pairs are everywhere: two eyes, two shoes in a pair, two wheels on a bike. Six bikes means 6 × 2 = 12 wheels.
Questions parents ask
Why is every answer in the 2 times table even?
Because you are always making pairs. If you can split a group into two equal halves with nothing left over, the number is even — and doubling always makes something you can split back in half.
What is the quickest way to learn the 2 times table?
Practise doubling rather than reciting. Ask "what is double 6?" instead of "what is 6 times 2?". Doubling is a skill children use for the rest of their lives, and the table comes free with it.
Which table should I learn after the 2 times table?
The 4 times table, because 4 is just double-double. If you know 2 × 7 = 14, then 4 × 7 is double 14, which is 28.
Does 2 × 8 equal 8 × 2?
Yes. Multiplication can be done in either order, so learning 2 × 8 = 16 gives you 8 × 2 = 16 for free. That is why the early tables make the later ones shorter.