Roman numerals to 1,000

Roman numerals to 1,000: what children learn

Year 5 pupils learn to read Roman numerals to 1,000 (M) and recognise years written in Roman numerals. This builds on Year 4 (numerals to 100) by adding D (500) and M (1,000), and the subtractive pairs CD (400) and CM (900).

In this matching game, around two in five cards are years between 1066 and 2030, such as MCMXCIX (1999) or MMXXVI (2026). The rest are numbers from 1 to 1,000. Years are a good real-life test because they appear on buildings, foundation stones and at the end of film and TV credits.

This topic covers the Year 5 statutory requirement in the National Curriculum in England (Number – number and place value): pupils should be taught to “read Roman numerals to 1,000 (M) and recognise years written in Roman numerals”. Year 5 pupils are usually aged 9–10.

There is no direct equivalent in the US Common Core State Standards. Roman numerals are not part of the Common Core.

How to play

Pick a card on the left, then the card on the right that matches it. Each game has 6 pairs. Wrong matches are counted as mistakes, and you get three stars for a game with no mistakes.

Step by step

1. Know all seven symbols. I = 1, V = 5, X = 10, L = 50, C = 100, D = 500, M = 1,000.
2. Know the six subtractive pairs. IV = 4, IX = 9, XL = 40, XC = 90, CD = 400, CM = 900. A smaller symbol before a larger one means subtract.
3. Split into thousands, hundreds, tens and ones. MCMXCIX: M (1,000), CM (900), XC (90), IX (9).
4. Add the parts. 1,000 + 900 + 90 + 9 = 1,999.

Worked examples

Common mistakes and how to fix them

• Reading CM as 1,100. C before M means subtract: 1,000 − 100 = 900. MC would be 1,100.
• Getting lost in long numerals. Draw lines to split the numeral into thousands, hundreds, tens and ones before reading.
• Confusing D and M. M is for 'mille' (Latin for thousand). D is half of that: 500.

Activities to try at home

• Look for dates in Roman numerals on old buildings, war memorials and church foundation stones.
• Pause the end credits of a film to read the year it was made.
• Write family birth years in Roman numerals.

Ideas for the classroom

• Give pupils historical dates (1066, 1666, 1945) to convert both ways.
• Discuss why there is no zero in Roman numerals and how place value makes our system easier.
• Challenge: which year this century has the longest Roman numeral?

Printable worksheet

The printable worksheet uses the same question generator as the game, so it practises exactly the same skills. It comes with a separate answer sheet on the second page. Print it, or save it as a PDF from your browser's print menu.

Open the printable worksheet

Frequently asked questions

Related topics

• Roman numerals to 100 (Year 4 maths) – Match Roman numerals I to C with their values. Free Year 4 maths game.
• Rounding numbers to 1,000,000 (Year 5 maths) – Round numbers up to 1,000,000 to the nearest 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000 or 100,000. Free Year 5 maths game.
• Multiplying and dividing by 10, 100 and 1,000 (Year 5 maths) – Multiply and divide whole numbers and decimals by 10, 100 and 1,000. Free Year 5 maths game.
• Factors, multiples and primes (Year 5 maths) – Spot primes, factors and multiples in a timed quiz. Free Year 5 maths game.
• Square and cube numbers (Year 5 maths) – Fact sprint on square numbers to 12² and cube numbers to 5³. Free Year 5 maths game.
• Ordering decimals (Year 5 maths) – Put decimals with up to 3 decimal places in order. Free Year 5 maths game.

Back to Year 5 maths