5 Times Table
The 5 times table has the clearest pattern of any table: every single answer ends in a 5 or a 0. That one fact does most of the work for you.
Counting up in 5s: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50
Visual Explorer
Click any line in the table on the left to see it visualised below!
Choose objects:
5 × 1 = 5
1 group of 5 = 5 stars!
Test Yourself
Fill in every answer, then press Check Answers to see how you did.
The clever bit
Halve the 10 times table
Skip counting in fives — 5, 10, 15, 20 — genuinely works here, because the pattern is so strong. But there is a faster route for bigger numbers:
Multiply by 10, then halve it.
- 5 × 8 → 10 × 8 is 80 → half is 40
- 5 × 7 → 10 × 7 is 70 → half is 35
- 5 × 12 → 10 × 12 is 120 → half is 60
The odd-and-even tell
The last digit is never a surprise:
- Multiply an odd number by 5 → the answer ends in 5
- Multiply an even number by 5 → the answer ends in 0
So before you work out 5 × 9 at all, you already know it ends in 5. That alone rules out most wrong answers, which is why mistakes in this table are rare.
Why it matters beyond maths lessons
Every number on a clock face is five minutes from the next. Knowing this table is the difference between reading “twenty-five past” instantly and counting round the dial.
Step one
Practise the 5 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 5 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 5 times table land on these. Each one has a way in.
5 × 7 = 35
10 × 7 is 70, and half of 70 is 35. Odd number, so it ends in 5 — which fits.
Where the 5 times table shows up
Fingers on one hand, the minute marks on a clock face, days in a school week. Six school weeks is 6 × 5 = 30 days.
Questions parents ask
Why does the 5 times table always end in 5 or 0?
Because 5 is exactly half of 10. Two fives make a ten, so the answers land alternately halfway to the next ten (ending in 5) and exactly on it (ending in 0).
How do I know whether the answer ends in 5 or in 0?
Look at the number you are multiplying by. Odd numbers give an answer ending in 5, even numbers give an answer ending in 0. 5 × 7 ends in 5; 5 × 8 ends in 0.
What is the fastest way to multiply by 5?
Multiply by 10 and halve it. For 5 × 14: ten fourteens is 140, half of that is 70. This is much faster than counting up in fives and it works on any number.
How does the 5 times table help with telling the time?
Each number on a clock face is 5 minutes apart. When the minute hand points at 7, that is 7 × 5 = 35 minutes past. Children who know this table read a clock face far more quickly.