Multiply by 11

Split the digits apart and drop their sum in the middle.

The question

What is 43 × 11?

The trick

Pull the two digits apart and write their sum in the gap between them.

44+33473

Worked example

1Take the digits of 43 and separate them: 4 _ 3
2Add those two digits: 4 + 3 = 7
3Drop the 7 into the gap: 4 7 3

So: 473

Remember it like this

Think of the two digits as parents standing apart, and their sum as the child who squeezes in between them.

In the exam

If the middle sum is 10 or more, carry the 1 to the left digit. 87 × 11 → 8 (15) 7 → the 1 moves left → 957. Losing that carry is the single most common mistake with this trick.

Why it works

43 × 11 is the same as 43 × 10 + 43. Adding 43 to 430 shifts the tens column up by exactly the sum of the digits — which is why that sum lands in the middle.

Explain this to my childGet the words to teach it, in your language

Try it yourself

0/5 correct

1
25 × 11
25 × 11
2
62 × 11
62 × 11
3
34 × 11
34 × 11
4
76 × 11
76 × 11
5
53 × 11
53 × 11