Meaning & use

missing addend

noun·Academic

In an addition equation, the unknown number that must be found to complete the sum, such as the blank in 5 + ? = 9.

See it in a sentence

To find the missing addend in 6 plus what equals 10, students subtract 6 from 10.

The worksheet asked children to solve for the missing addend in each equation.

A note on using this word

Missing addend problems are typically solved using subtraction, since finding an unknown part of a sum is the inverse of adding.

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