Quick Answer:
Result: $2 \times 1 = 2$ through $2 \times 10 = 20$ (the even numbers)
Notation: $2 \times n$, read "two times $n$"
Method shown: Repeated addition and doubling
Pattern: Every product ends in 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8
Extended: continues $2 \times 11 = 22$ … $2 \times 20 = 40$
Multiplication Table of 2
The full 2 times table sits in two short blocks: the core facts up to ten, then the extension to twenty.
Table of 2 up to 10
Multiplication | Product |
|---|---|
$2 \times 1$ | 2 |
$2 \times 2$ | 4 |
$2 \times 3$ | 6 |
$2 \times 4$ | 8 |
$2 \times 5$ | 10 |
$2 \times 6$ | 12 |
$2 \times 7$ | 14 |
$2 \times 8$ | 16 |
$2 \times 9$ | 18 |
$2 \times 10$ | 20 |
Table of 2 up to 20
Multiplication | Product |
|---|---|
$2 \times 11$ | 22 |
$2 \times 12$ | 24 |
$2 \times 13$ | 26 |
$2 \times 14$ | 28 |
$2 \times 15$ | 30 |
$2 \times 16$ | 32 |
$2 \times 17$ | 34 |
$2 \times 18$ | 36 |
$2 \times 19$ | 38 |
$2 \times 20$ | 40 |
Table of 2 in Words
Reading the table aloud is how most children lock it in, so here it is spoken row by row:
One times 2 is 2
Two times 2 is 4
Three times 2 is 6
Four times 2 is 8
Five times 2 is 10
Six times 2 is 12
Seven times 2 is 14
Eight times 2 is 16
Nine times 2 is 18
Ten times 2 is 20
What Is the 2 Times Table?
The 2 times table is what you get by multiplying 2 by each whole number in turn, and multiplying by 2 is just repeated addition of 2. Writing $2 \times 6$ is shorthand for adding 2 six times, and you can watch the answer build one step at a time:
$$2,; 2+2 = 4,; 2+2+2 = 6,; 2+2+2+2 = 8,; 2+2+2+2+2 = 10$$
There is a second way to read the same thing. $2 \times 6$ also means "double 6," because doubling a number is multiplying it by 2 — both give 12.
Multiples of 2
The products in the table are the multiples of 2. The first twelve are:
$$2,; 4,; 6,; 8,; 10,; 12,; 14,; 16,; 18,; 20,; 22,; 24$$
Every entry in the table is a multiple of 2, and the multiples of 2 are exactly the even numbers. That is why "is this number even?" and "is this number in the 2 times table?" are the same question.
Tips and Tricks to Memorize the 2 Times Table
Double the number. This is the fastest route. $2 \times 7$ is 7 doubled, which is 14.
Skip-count in twos. Say 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and keep going — each step adds one more 2.
Spot the even-number ending. Every product ends in 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8, never an odd digit. An odd answer means an error.
Use the matching-hands picture. Hold up the number you want, then a matching set beside it. Two equal hands are doubling, made visible.
One thing worth saying twice: the 2 times table and "doubling" are not two skills. A child who can double can already do the whole table — they just have not noticed yet.
How to Read and Use the 2 Times Table
Read a row left to right: in $2 \times 7 = 14$, the 2 is the number you are counting in, the 7 is how many groups you have, and 14 is the total. To learn it, chant the products in order while skip-counting, then test yourself out of order so the facts come loose from the chant. Five minutes a day, spaced across a week, beats one long session — spaced practice is what moves a fact from "I can work it out" to "I just know it."
Where the 2 Times Table Appears
The 2 times table is hiding in plain sight every time something comes in pairs — shoes, socks, eyes, and bicycle wheels are all counted in twos. It sits underneath the idea of even versus odd: a number is even precisely when it lands in this table. The same doubling logic later powers binary, the base computers run on.
Solved Examples
Example 1
Find $2 \times 6$ using repeated addition.
$$2 \times 6 = 2+2+2+2+2+2$$ $$= 12$$
Final answer: $2 \times 6 = 12$.
Example 2
Richard reads 2 pages every day. How many pages does he read in a week?
A first instinct is to add 2 and 7 and write 9 — but that counts pages and days together, which makes no sense.
A week is 7 days, and each day is one group of 2 pages, so this is $2 \times 7$, not $2 + 7$.
$$2 \times 7 = 14$$
Final answer: Richard reads 14 pages in a week.
Example 3
What is $2 \times 13$?
Split 13 into 10 and 3.
$$2 \times 10 = 20$$ $$2 \times 3 = 6$$ $$20 + 6 = 26$$
Final answer: $2 \times 13 = 26$.
Example 4
A pair of socks costs 2 dollars. How much do 9 pairs cost?
$$2 \times 9 = 18$$
Final answer: 9 pairs cost 18 dollars.
Example 5
Fill in the missing factor: $2 \times \square = 16$.
Ask which number doubled gives 16. Half of 16 is 8.
$$2 \times 8 = 16$$
Final answer: the missing factor is 8.
Common Mistakes with the 2 Times Table
Mistake 1: Adding instead of multiplying
Where it slips in: When a child reads $2 \times 5$ and the "2" pulls their eye toward addition.
Don't do this: Writing $2 \times 5 = 7$ by adding 2 and 5.
The correct way: $2 \times 5$ means five 2s added up, or 5 doubled — both give 10.
Mistake 2: Landing on an odd answer
Where it slips in: Rushing through the higher facts like $2 \times 9$ or $2 \times 13$.
Don't do this: Writing $2 \times 9 = 17$.
The correct way: Every product in this table is even, so an odd answer is the signal to recheck — $2 \times 9 = 18$.
The first-instinct error here is almost always the rusher's: they double, then quietly add one extra because the number "feels" too small. Catching the even-number rule once tends to fix it, because it hands the child a check they can run on their own.
Practice Questions
$2 \times 4 = \square$
$2 \times 7 = \square$
$2 \times 11 = \square$
Fill in the missing factor: $2 \times \square = 20$.
A bicycle has 2 wheels. How many wheels on 8 bicycles?
Which is larger, $2 \times 9$ or $2 \times 8$?
$2 \times 15 = \square$
True or false: every answer in the 2 times table is even.
Answers: 1. 8 · 2. 14 · 3. 22 · 4. 10 · 5. 16 wheels · 6. $2 \times 9 = 18$ is larger · 7. 30 · 8. True.
Related Multiplication Tables
Start from the tables from 1 to 20 for the full set. Once the doubling step is automatic, the tables that build on twos come next: the 4 times table (twos doubled), the 6 times table, the 8 times table, and the 12 times table. For more pattern-based shortcuts, see Bhanzu's guide to math tricks.
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