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Subtracting fractions worksheets

Fraction subtraction that never goes negative unless you ask: denominators drawn from families that share factors, answers reduced, mixed numbers optional.

Grade 3–Grade 6 · every refresh draws a new set · answer key included

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Subtracting fractions worksheets

Subtract. Give each answer in its simplest form.

1.
56−13=
2.
12−14=
3.
512−16=
4.
12−16=
5.
1112−34=
6.
78−14=
7.
14−18=
8.
34−18=
9.
910−15=
10.
45−110=
11.
23−59=
12.
12−310=
13.
12−38=
14.
89−23=
15.
23−112=
16.
23−49=
Sheetsmith · sheetsmith.online · set y885gxSheet 1 of 2

Subtracting fractions worksheets — answer key

Subtract. Give each answer in its simplest form.

1.
56−13=12
2.
12−14=14
3.
512−16=14
4.
12−16=13
5.
1112−34=16
6.
78−14=58
7.
14−18=18
8.
34−18=58
9.
910−15=710
10.
45−110=710
11.
23−59=19
12.
12−310=15
13.
12−38=18
14.
89−23=29
15.
23−112=712
16.
23−49=29
Sheetsmith · sheetsmith.online · set y885gxSheet 2 of 2

16 problems · US Letter · answer key — 2 sheets, page breaks marked in the preview

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Set y885gx — this address always prints this exact worksheet.

What this worksheet is for

Subtracting fractions is the same machinery as adding them with one extra trap: the larger fraction has to be on the left, and with unlike denominators it is not always obvious which one that is. Three quarters minus two thirds is fine; two thirds minus three quarters is negative, and a class that has not met negative numbers cannot answer it. This page orders the pair for you, so every question has an answer the pupil can write.

Who it suits

Grade 3 to Grade 6, ages eight to twelve, following the same progression as addition: same denominators first, then related, then unrelated. Subtracting mixed numbers is a Grade 5 and 6 exercise and is noticeably harder than adding them.

How to use the settings

Use the same settings you used for addition, one step behind — a class that has just met unlike denominators in addition should still be on related denominators here. Mixed numbers are worth their own page: subtracting them often needs the whole number broken up, which is a separate idea and the main reason this topic takes longer to teach than addition.

What goes wrong

The classic fault is subtracting the smaller numerator from the larger regardless of which fraction it belongs to, which mirrors exactly what pupils do with column subtraction. With mixed numbers, the commonest error is subtracting the whole numbers and the fractions separately and getting stuck when the second fraction is bigger — that is the moment to teach breaking up a whole, and a page of those questions is the way to practise it.

Questions

Do any answers come out negative?
No. The generator puts the larger fraction first, so every answer is zero or more. Negative results belong with integers rather than with a first course in fractions.
Why is subtracting mixed numbers harder than adding them?
Because the fraction being subtracted is often larger than the one it is taken from, so a whole has to be broken up first. Adding never needs that step.
Are the answers reduced?
Always. The key shows every answer in lowest terms, and as a mixed number when that setting is on.