5th grade comparing decimals worksheets

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Fifth grade comparing decimals runs to the thousandths place. Pairs like 0.41 and 0.409 can't be settled by eye. Your child compares tenths, then hundredths, then thousandths in order.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core 5.NBT.A.3.b.

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The kind of problems you'll get

Compare each pair. Write <, >, or =.

  1. 0.9 1.7

    Answer: <

  2. 1.32 1.44

    Answer: <

  3. 0.91 1.05

    Answer: <

Every print pulls a fresh set of problems at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling never gets the same sheet.

What's on a 5th grade sheet

The sample sheet above has 18 problems. This sheet is aligned to 5.NBT.A.3.b. The 4th grade sheet is aligned to 4.NF.C.7.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key after the problems.

How to teach this

Keep the rule verbal: line up the points, compare left to right, stop at the first place that differs. Money runs out at hundredths, so for thousandths switch to measurement: 1.5 meters versus 1.485 meters of string makes the answer feel real. Ask your child to read each finished answer as a sentence: "0.41 is greater than 0.409."

Watch for: Kids think the longer decimal must be the bigger one, so 0.35 beats 0.7. More digits after the point doesn't mean more value; compare the tenths first. Kids read the digits after the point as a whole number, turning 0.35 into 'thirty-five.' Decimals compare place by place, starting from the tenths.

Common questions about 5th grade comparing decimals

How is this harder than the 4th grade version?
Decimals extend to thousandths, so pairs like 0.41 and 0.409 take a genuine place by place comparison instead of a glance.
What should my child do when the decimals have different lengths?
Pad the shorter one with zeros until both have the same number of places (0.41 becomes 0.410), then compare. Trailing zeros never change the value.

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Aligned to Common Core 5.NBT.A.3.b. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 240, updated September 2026.

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