Year 1 English: Digits 0 to 9: they are not letters
Part of the Year 1 English letters, sounds and the alphabet chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page · Download worksheet (PDF) · Answers (PDF)
Digits 0 to 9: they are not letters
We use digits to write numbers. The digits are 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. There are ten digits. Each digit has a name too, like zero, one and two.
A digit is not a letter, even when it looks like one. The digit 0 is not the letter O.
Key ideas
- The digits are 0 to 9. There are ten of them.
- Zero is the digit 0.
- Digits are used for numbers. Letters are used for words.
- The digit 0 is not the letter O.
Method. Find the digit that matches the number word.
- Read the word. Read the whole word.“seven”
- Find the digit. Each number word has one digit.seven = 7
- Write the digit. 7
Check. Count 7 things and say the number word for the last one. ✓
Watch out. Zero is written as 0. It is a digit, not the letter O.
Key words. After means the next digit. Before means the digit just before.
Method. Find 4 in the digits and move one place up the list.
- Find the digit 4. The digits go in order from 0 to 9.… 3 4 5 …
- Move one digit up. Each digit is one more or one less than the one before.4 + 1 = 5
- Write the answer. 5
Check. Count on from 4 to 5 to check. ✓
Watch out. Do not write the digit you started with.
Method. A digit is 0 to 9. A letter is a shape from the alphabet.
- Look at each one. Digits are numbers. Letters are not.g, 4, h
- Find the digit. The digit is between 0 and 9.4 is a digit
- Write the answer. 4
Check. The other two are letters from the alphabet. ✓
Watch out. The digit 0 is not the letter O.
Watch out
Watch out: 6 and 9 can look alike if you are not careful. Check the curl. The digit 0 is not the letter O, so do not write O for zero.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Count out loud from 0 to 9 together. Write the digits on paper, starting at the top. Ask: “Is this a letter or a digit?” Digits are for numbers, and letters are for words.
Exercise 1F Digits and number words
Method. Find the digit that matches the number word.
- Read the word. Read the whole word.“seven”
- Find the digit. Each number word has one digit.seven = 7
- Write the digit. 7
Check. Count 7 things and say the number word for the last one. ✓
Watch out. Zero is written as 0. It is a digit, not the letter O.
Method. Find the digit that matches the number word.
- Read the word. Read the whole word.“zero”
- Find the digit. Each number word has one digit.zero = 0
- Write the digit. 0
Check. Count 0 things and say the number word for the last one. ✓
Watch out. Zero is written as 0. It is a digit, not the letter O.
Key words. After means the next digit. Before means the digit just before.
Method. Find 4 in the digits and move one place up the list.
- Find the digit 4. The digits go in order from 0 to 9.… 3 4 5 …
- Move one digit up. Each digit is one more or one less than the one before.4 + 1 = 5
- Write the answer. 5
Check. Count on from 4 to 5 to check. ✓
Watch out. Do not write the digit you started with.
Key words. After means the next digit. Before means the digit just before.
Method. Find 9 in the digits and move one place down the list.
- Find the digit 9. The digits go in order from 0 to 9.… 8 9 …
- Move one digit down. Each digit is one more or one less than the one before.9 − 1 = 8
- Write the answer. 8
Check. Count back from 9 to 8 to check. ✓
Watch out. Do not write the digit you started with.
Method. A digit is 0 to 9. A letter is a shape from the alphabet.
- Look at each one. Digits are numbers. Letters are not.g, 4, h
- Find the digit. The digit is between 0 and 9.4 is a digit
- Write the answer. 4
Check. The other two are letters from the alphabet. ✓
Watch out. The digit 0 is not the letter O.
Method. Find the digit that matches the number word.
- Read the word. Read the whole word.“three”
- Find the digit. Each number word has one digit.three = 3
- Write the digit. 3
Check. Count 3 things and say the number word for the last one. ✓
Watch out. Zero is written as 0. It is a digit, not the letter O.
Method. Find the digit that matches the number word.
- Read the word. Read the whole word.“eight”
- Find the digit. Each number word has one digit.eight = 8
- Write the digit. 8
Check. Count 8 things and say the number word for the last one. ✓
Watch out. Zero is written as 0. It is a digit, not the letter O.
Method. Find the digit that matches the number word.
- Read the word. Read the whole word.“one”
- Find the digit. Each number word has one digit.one = 1
- Write the digit. 1
Check. Count 1 things and say the number word for the last one. ✓
Watch out. Zero is written as 0. It is a digit, not the letter O.
Method. Count the digits from 0 to 9.
- Say the digits in order. Start at 0.0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
- Count how many there are. Each digit is counted once.There are 10 digits
- Write the answer. 10
Check. Zero is one of the digits, so the list has 10 digits, not 9. ✓
Watch out. Do not forget zero. It is a digit too.
Method. Choose the digit that is the biggest of the three.
- Look at each digit. Compare the numbers.3, 9, 0
- Find the biggest. The biggest digit is the one with the largest value.9 is the biggest
- Write the answer. 9
Check. Compare 9 with each of the others. ✓
Watch out. Compare the digits, not the size of their writing.
Method. Look at the letter and the digit. Then check what each one is.
- Look at the letter O. O is a letter in the alphabet.O is a letter
- Look at the digit 0. Zero is a digit, used for numbers.0 is a digit
- Write the answer. They look alike, but they are different characters.No. O is a letter and 0 is a digit.
Check. The letter O is in the alphabet, and the digit 0 is not. ✓
Watch out. A digit is used in numbers, and a letter is used in words.
Key words. After means the next digit. Before means the digit just before.
Method. Find 2 in the digits and move one place up the list.
- Find the digit 2. The digits go in order from 0 to 9.… 1 2 3 …
- Move one digit up. Each digit is one more or one less than the one before.2 + 1 = 3
- Write the answer. 3
Check. Count on from 2 to 3 to check. ✓
Watch out. Do not write the digit you started with.