7 Times Table
The 7 times table has a reputation as the hardest one, and it is fairly earned — 7 sits near no easy anchor. The way through is to stop treating it as one number.
Counting up in 7s: 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, 63, 70
Visual Explorer
Click any line in the table on the left to see it visualised below!
Choose objects:
7 × 1 = 7
1 group of 7 = 7 stars!
Test Yourself
Fill in every answer, then press Check Answers to see how you did.
The clever bit
Break 7 into 5 + 2
There is no single pattern that unlocks the 7 times table. Instead there is a method that always works: split the 7 into 5 + 2, because the 5 and 2 tables are already easy.
- 7 × 6 → (5 × 6) + (2 × 6) = 30 + 12 = 42
- 7 × 8 → (5 × 8) + (2 × 8) = 40 + 16 = 56
- 7 × 9 → (5 × 9) + (2 × 9) = 45 + 18 = 63
It feels slow at first. It stops feeling slow surprisingly quickly, and unlike rote chanting it never leaves a child stranded halfway through.
The one fact worth memorising outright
7 × 8 = 56.
Say the digits in order — 5, 6, 7, 8 — and the fact assembles itself. This is the single most-missed fact in all the times tables, so it is worth spending a minute on it alone.
The near-ten route
For the top of the table, go via 10 and subtract:
- 7 × 9 → 70 − 7 = 63
- 7 × 11 → 70 + 7 = 77
- 7 × 12 → 70 + 14 = 84
One reassurance
Half of this table is already done. If you know the 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 tables, then 7 × 2, 7 × 3, 7 × 4, 7 × 5 and 7 × 6 are facts you have met before from the other side. Only a handful are genuinely new.
Step one
Practise the 7 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 7 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 7 times table land on these. Each one has a way in.
7 × 8 = 56
Say the digits in order: 5, 6, 7, 8 — because 56 = 7 × 8. It is the most useful rhyme in times tables.
7 × 6 = 42
Five sixes are 30, two sixes are 12, and 30 + 12 = 42.
7 × 9 = 63
Seven tens are 70, take one 7 away → 63.
Where the 7 times table shows up
Days in a week, colours in a rainbow, notes in a musical scale. Eight weeks is 8 × 7 = 56 days.
Questions parents ask
Why is the 7 times table the hardest?
Seven is prime, it is not near 10, and it has no last-digit pattern like the 5 or 9 tables. There is no shortcut that covers the whole table, so it relies more on strategy and practice than the others.
What is the 5 plus 2 trick for the 7 times table?
Split 7 into 5 + 2 and multiply separately. For 7 × 8: five eights are 40, two eights are 16, and 40 + 16 = 56. Both halves come from tables children already know well.
How do I remember 7 × 8?
Say the digits in counting order: 5, 6, 7, 8. That gives 56 = 7 × 8. It is the single most useful mnemonic in the whole times tables, because 7 × 8 is the fact children get wrong most often.
Do I need to learn 7 × 8 and 8 × 7 separately?
No. Multiplication works in either order, so they are the same fact. Learning 7 × 8 = 56 gives you 8 × 7 = 56 at no extra cost.