Math Drill Pages

4 Digit Subtraction Word Problems

Eight 4th grade subtraction word problems with two 4-digit numbers in each story. Two take an amount away, two compare amounts, two find the part that is left of a whole, one asks how many more are needed and one asks how many were used. Every problem needs regrouping, and two of them subtract across a zero, like 6,005 − 1,423.

Grade
Grade 4
Problems
8
Time
About 20 minutes
Standard
4.NBT.B.4, 4.OA.A.3
Download PDF (US Letter) Download PDF (A4)

Two pages: the worksheet, then the answer key. No sign-up needed.

Worksheet preview

Word problems Solve. Show your work.

  1. A blue whale swam 7,612 miles. A gray whale swam 3,673 miles. How many fewer miles did the gray whale swim?

    3,939

  2. Maple Town has 9,961 people. Pine Town has 6,809 people. How many more people live in Maple Town than in Pine Town?

    3,152

  3. A school district had 7,534 pencils at the start of the year. Now it has 6,045 pencils. How many pencils were used?

    1,489

  4. A farm has 6,005 chickens. 1,423 of them are brown and the rest are white. How many chickens are white?

    4,582

  5. A town wants to plant 9,742 trees. It has planted 7,383 trees so far. How many more trees does it need to plant?

    2,359

  6. A book has 5,934 words. Nora has read 1,184 words so far. How many words does she still have to read?

    4,750

  7. 7,504 people watched a parade. 5,037 of them sat in the stands and the rest stood along the street. How many people stood along the street?

    2,467

  8. A warehouse had 4,212 boxes. Trucks took away 2,672 boxes. How many boxes are left?

    1,540

Tips for teachers and parents

  • Ask your student to say what the question wants in their own words before choosing an operation. "How many more", "how many fewer" and "how many are left" all mean subtract here.
  • Have students write the bigger number on top when they set up the column, then line up the ones.
  • For the problems with a zero in the top number, regroup from the first digit that is not zero and work back to the right.
  • Check each answer by adding it to the number that was subtracted. The sum should be the top number.

Common mistakes

  • Subtracting the smaller digit from the larger one in a column instead of borrowing. The addition check shows this right away.
  • Adding in "how many more" stories because the word "more" appears. Ask: are we putting amounts together, or finding the difference?

What to practice next

Try the 4-digit addition word problems, then the 4th grade multi-step word problems.

Frequently asked questions

Do these subtraction word problems need borrowing?

Yes. Every problem needs borrowing (regrouping) in at least one column, and two of them borrow across a zero.

What kinds of subtraction stories are on the sheet?

Take-away, comparison ("how many more" and "how many fewer"), part-of-a-whole, how many more are needed, and how many were used.

Is there an answer key?

Yes, page 2 of the PDF has the answers to all 8 problems.