What Is Rounding?
Mathematics · Grades 2–6
Meaning at a glance
Rounding replaces a number with a nearby number that is easier to use, such as the nearest ten.
Also searched as: round, rounding off, round off, round up, round down, round to the nearest ten, round to the nearest hundred.
Understand it simply
To round to the nearest ten, find the two tens your number sits between, then pick the closer one. 47 sits between 40 and 50 and is closer to 50, so 47 rounds to 50.
The shortcut: look at the digit just to the right of the place you are rounding to. If it is 5 or more, round up. If it is 4 or less, keep the digit and round down.
See it work
Round 63 to the nearest ten. The ones digit is 3, which is 4 or less, so 63 rounds down to 60. Round 78: the ones digit is 8, so 78 rounds up to 80. Exactly halfway, as with 45, is rounded up to 50.
Avoid this confusion
Rounding is not always going up. It means going to the nearest, which can be down.
Look at the digit to the right, not the digit you are rounding. To round 349 to the nearest hundred, look at the tens digit (4), not the 9. The answer is 300.
Try it yourself
Work these out first, then check your answers below.
Round 63 to the nearest ten.
Round 78 to the nearest ten.
Round 350 to the nearest hundred.
Check your understanding
Show the answer to question 1
Answer: 60
The ones digit is 3, so round down.
Show the answer to question 2
Answer: 80
The ones digit is 8, so round up.
Show the answer to question 3
Answer: 400
The tens digit is 5, so round up to 400.
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- Rounding to the nearest ten (Grade 3)
- Rounding (Grade 4)
- Rounding (Grade 5)
Practise
Practise with Learning Lab questions for the lesson Rounding to the nearest ten (Grade 3), with an explanation after each answer.
Explore
Ideas that connect to this word.
- Place value: you need place value to know which digit to look at.
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Sources and review
This explanation was written from Courseversity lesson content (see the lessons above). An outside reference check is still on the editorial to-do list.
Written by: Courseversity editorial team (AI-assisted draft).
Review status: checked against the sources above. Educator review is pending, so please tell us if anything looks wrong.
Last updated: 27 October 2026.