Meet the Coins
Before you can count coins, it helps to be able to tell them apart at a glance. Here's what to look for.
Bigger doesn't always mean more valuable! A nickel is actually bigger than a dime, even though a dime is worth more. Size tells you which coin it is — not how much it's worth.
Writing Money Amounts
You've probably noticed we write coin amounts two different ways on this page — like 25¢ and $0.25. They mean exactly the same thing!
The ¢ symbol means cents. Just write the number of cents right before it — 25¢ means twenty-five cents.
The $ sign uses a decimal point instead, and the two digits after the decimal point are the cents. That's why we always use two digits, even for small amounts — 5¢ is written $0.05, not $0.5 (which would actually mean 50 cents!).
Two Ways to Count Coins
Once you can tell your coins apart, here are two great strategies for adding them all up.
Method 1: Grouping
Put all the matching coins together first — every quarter in one pile, every dime in another, and so on. Then count each pile, and add the totals together.
Method 2: Counting On
Start with your coin worth the most, and say its value out loud. Then add each other coin one at a time, counting up as you go.
Let's count this set of coins both ways:
Grouping: 1 quarter = 25¢. 2 dimes = 20¢. 1 nickel = 5¢. 3 pennies = 3¢. Add them up: 25 + 20 + 5 + 3 = 53¢.
Counting On: Start at the quarter — "25." Add the dimes — "35, 45." Add the nickel — "50." Add the pennies — "51, 52, 53."
Both ways land on the same answer: 53¢! Use whichever one feels easier to you.
Activity: Count the Coins
Add up the coins shown below.