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The greater than symbol is > and the less than symbol is <. Both open toward the larger number. Which one you use depends on which side the larger number is on: 13 > 7 because the bigger number comes first, and 2 < 8 because the smaller number comes first.
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Children compare numbers long before they meet the symbols for it. The symbols are the notation, not the idea, and that is usually where the difficulty sits. Below is what each one means, the rule that separates them, where the alligator story helps and where it stops helping, and six ways to practice at home.
What the two symbols mean
|
Symbol |
Name |
Read it as |
Example |
|
> |
Greater than |
the number before it is bigger |
13 > 7 |
|
< |
Less than |
the number before it is smaller |
2 < 8 |
|
= |
Equal to |
both numbers are the same |
5 = 5 |
The third row matters more than it looks. Children meet all three symbols together in school, and a child who has only been taught two of them will sometimes force a comparison onto a pair of equal numbers.
The rule that actually tells them apart
Here is the thing most explanations get stuck on, including the earlier version of this page.
The open end faces the larger number. That is true of both symbols. So "it opens toward the bigger number" describes > and < equally well, and a child who is already confused is no better off.
What separates them is not the symbol's shape. It is which side the larger number is sitting on:
- If the first number is the bigger one, you need greater than: 13 > 7.
- If the first number is the smaller one, you need less than: 2 < 8.
Say the sentence out loud, left to right, and the name of the symbol is simply the answer: "thirteen is greater than seven". The symbol is named after what the first number is doing, which is why reading the statement aloud is a more reliable check than looking at the shape.
This also explains a swap that looks careless and is not. A child who writes 7 > 13 has often compared the numbers correctly and then written the symbol for the number they were thinking about rather than the one on the left.
The hungry alligator, and where it stops helping
The usual mnemonic is that the symbol is an alligator's mouth, and the alligator eats the bigger number. The open end is the mouth, and it faces the larger number, so the story is accurate.
It is a good way in. It has two limits worth knowing:
- It does not name the symbol. The alligator tells a child which way round to draw the mouth. It does not tell them whether the result is called "greater than" or "less than", which is what a worksheet asks for.
- It does not survive equality. There is no version of the story for 5 = 5, so children who rely on it alone tend to guess when the two numbers match.
Use it to get the shape right, then use the left-to-right sentence above to get the name right.
What grade do children learn this?
Earlier than most parents expect. Under Common Core standard 1.NBT.B.3, Grade 1 students "compare two two-digit numbers based on meanings of the tens and ones digits, recording the results of comparisons with the symbols >, =, and <". Source: Common Core State Standards, Mathematics.
Two things follow from that. All three symbols arrive together, not the two comparison ones first. And the comparison is expected to rest on place value, meaning tens and ones, rather than on counting. A child who compares 31 and 28 by counting up will get there, and will struggle when the numbers get bigger.
If your child is mixing the two symbols up specifically, that is covered in more depth in Less Than Sign: Why Children Mix It Up With Greater Than.
6 strategies to help children learn greater than and less than
These are the foundations of comparison, so they are worth teaching in a way that sticks rather than a way that gets through the worksheet.
- Visual aids: make flashcards with numbers on and symbols on, kept separate, so the child chooses the symbol rather than reading a finished statement.
- Connect to real life: compare things that already matter to them. Two piles of grapes, two scores, two heights. The comparison is obvious, so only the notation is new.
- Dynamic games: symbol races, where you call out a pair of numbers and they hold up the right symbol. Speed exposes guessing in a way that written work hides.
- Storytelling: the hungry alligator, used for the shape, with the spoken sentence used for the name.
- Worksheets: practice with mixed pairs, including some equal pairs so that = stays live as an option.
- Online tools: apps and videos that give immediate feedback, which matters here because a wrong answer written and left uncorrected is easily learned.
One addition worth making to all six: ask the child to read the finished statement aloud. If they say "seven is greater than thirteen" and do not hear the problem, the gap is in comparing the numbers. If they hear it immediately, the gap is only in the notation, and that is a much quicker fix.
Why symbols matter in math
Math symbols are shorthand. They let a relationship be written once and read the same way by anyone, which is what makes mathematical writing portable across languages. Comparison symbols are among the first a child meets where the symbol expresses a relationship rather than an instruction: + tells you to do something, while > states something that is already true.
That shift is the real content of this topic, and it is why it repays a little patience in Grade 1. Enhance your child's math education with 98thPercentile's math program. If your child is in grades 1 to 8, our classes work on exactly this kind of foundation.
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Questions parents ask
What is the greater than symbol?
The greater than symbol is >. It says the number written before it is larger than the number written after it, as in 13 > 7. The open end of the symbol faces the larger number, so in that example the open side is on the left.
What is the less than symbol?
The less than symbol is <. It says the number written before it is smaller than the number written after it, as in 2 < 8. Like the greater than symbol, its open end faces the larger number, which here is on the right.
How do I help my child tell the two symbols apart?
Have them read the whole statement aloud from left to right. The symbol is named after what the first number is doing, so "thirteen is greater than seven" names itself. Checking the shape alone does not separate the two, because both symbols open toward the larger number.
What grade do children learn greater than and less than?
Grade 1. Common Core standard 1.NBT.B.3 asks students to compare two two-digit numbers using place value and to record the result with the symbols >, =, and <. All three symbols are introduced together, and the comparison is meant to rest on tens and ones rather than on counting.
Does the hungry alligator trick actually work?
For getting the shape right, yes. The open end is the mouth and it faces the larger number, so the story is accurate. It has two gaps: it does not tell a child whether to call the result "greater than" or "less than", and it offers nothing for two equal numbers.
What are math symbols?
Characters that stand for operations, relationships or values, such as +, −, >, < and =. They make it possible to write a mathematical idea compactly and have it read the same way by anyone, regardless of the language they speak.
Can you give an example of each symbol?
For greater than, 13 > 7 and 9 > 4. For less than, 2 < 8 and 6 < 10. For equal to, 5 = 5. In every case, reading the statement aloud from left to right should produce a sentence that is true.
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