Pennies, Nickels, and Dimes

Learn to recognize three U.S. coins — the penny, nickel, and dime — and know how many cents each one is worth.

Reading is good — doing is better. Practice Pennies, Nickels, and Dimes as an interactive lesson.

Definition

Coins are small metal pieces of money. A penny is worth 1 cent, a nickel is worth 5 cents, and a dime is worth 10 cents. We use these coins to buy things. The cent sign looks like this: ¢.

Remember the rule

1 dime = 10 cents, 1 nickel = 5 cents, 1 penny = 1 cent. A dime is worth the MOST even though it is the SMALLEST coin!

Key words

penny: A round copper-colored coin worth 1 cent. It has Abraham Lincoln on the front.
nickel: A round silver-colored coin worth 5 cents. It is bigger than a dime and has Thomas Jefferson on the front.
dime: A round silver-colored coin worth 10 cents. It is the smallest coin and has Franklin D. Roosevelt on the front.
cent: The unit we use to count the value of coins. The symbol is ¢.
value: How much a coin is worth — the number of cents it equals.
heads: The front side of a coin, which shows a person's face.
tails: The back side of a coin, which shows a building or other picture.
total: The amount you get when you add all your coins together.

Worked examples

You have 1 penny. How many cents do you have?

→ 1 cent (1¢) · One penny always equals exactly 1 cent.

You have 1 nickel. How many cents do you have?

→ 5 cents (5¢) · One nickel equals 5 cents — the same as five pennies.

You have 1 dime. How many cents do you have?

→ 10 cents (10¢) · One dime equals 10 cents — the same as ten pennies or two nickels.

You have 1 nickel and 1 penny. How many cents is that?

→ 5 + 1 = 6 cents (6¢) · Start with the biggest coin value and add the smaller one.

You have 1 dime and 1 nickel. How many cents is that?

→ 10 + 5 = 15 cents (15¢)

You have 1 dime, 1 nickel, and 1 penny. How many cents is that?

→ 10 + 5 + 1 = 16 cents (16¢) · Add the dime first, then the nickel, then the penny — biggest to smallest.

Common mistakes

Thinking the nickel is worth more than the dime because the nickel is bigger in size — but size does NOT tell us value, only the number does.
Mixing up the penny and the dime because both are small and round — remember the penny is copper-colored and the dime is silver.
Forgetting that a penny is only 1 cent and trying to count it as 5 cents.
Counting each coin as 1 no matter what it is — each coin type has its own special value.
Stopping too soon when adding coins — always make sure to count every coin in the group.

FAQs

Why is the dime smaller than the nickel if it is worth more?

The size of a coin does not tell us its value. The US government decided the values long ago. A dime is worth more simply because that is the rule — always check the name of the coin, not its size.

How can I remember which coin is which?

Penny = copper color (brownish), 1 cent. Nickel = silver and chubby (bigger silver coin), 5 cents. Dime = silver and tiny (smallest coin), 10 cents.

How many pennies equal one nickel?

Five pennies equal one nickel because 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 5 cents.

How many pennies equal one dime?

Ten pennies equal one dime because counting up ten 1-cent pennies gives you 10 cents.

How many nickels equal one dime?

Two nickels equal one dime because 5 + 5 = 10 cents.

What if I have lots of coins — how do I find the total?

Start by counting your dimes first, then add your nickels, then add your pennies last. Going from biggest value to smallest value makes it easier to add.

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