Races

Speed Math: race a friend at mental math

The same sums for both of you, against the clock. Type each answer on the big number pad, and the next sum appears the moment you get it right. Send one link and see who adds up faster.

2 players
About 1 min
Watchable live
Free, no sign-up

$Paper cards with sums on them, a big “7 × 8” in front, next to a ticking stopwatch$

Mental math practice that feels like a game

Practising sums is more fun with a rival. In Speed Math you and a friend, a parent and a child, or two classmates get exactly the same sums, and the faster time wins. A right answer moves straight on, so a good run feels like a sprint, and a wrong one only costs a few seconds.

Pick the sums that suit you: plus and minus up to 20 for first graders, up to 100, the times tables, all four mixed, or bigger numbers for grown-ups. Start a race, send the link in any chat, and your friend plays the same sums whenever they like. If they play second, your run races beside them as a ghost.

How to play Speed Math

Pick your sums

Choose plus and minus, the times tables, all four mixed or the hard ones, and ten or twenty sums. Then send the link to a friend.

Tap Start

After a short countdown the clock starts and the first sum appears. Nobody sees the sums before they press Start.

Type the answer

Use the big number pad or your keyboard. A right answer jumps straight to the next sum. Each wrong try adds three seconds.

Fastest time wins

When you’re both done, the lower time (with the extra seconds) wins. You see every sum with your time for it. Rematch on the same link.

The rules in short

The same sums: both players get exactly the same sums in the same order.
The clock starts after the countdown and stops after your last sum. It runs on our server, so it’s fair.
Wrong answers: each wrong try adds 3 seconds. After three wrong tries the answer is shown and the next sum follows.
No tricks: every answer is a whole number, never below zero, and every division comes out even.
The winner has the lower total time. Exactly the same time is a draw.

How to get faster at mental math

Make tens: 8 + 7 is 8 + 2 + 5, so 15. For bigger sums, add the tens first and then the ones: 46 + 27 is 66 + 7, so 73. For minus, count up instead of down: from 38 to 52 is 2 to 40 and 12 more, so 14.

For the times tables, learn the easy ones first (2, 5 and 10), then use them: 6 × 7 is 5 × 7 plus one more 7, so 42. And a division is just a times table backwards: 56 ÷ 8 asks what times 8 makes 56. Every round ends with your slowest sums, so you know what to practise next.

For parents and teachers

Speed Math needs no account and no download, and it shows no chat and no strangers: only someone you send the link to can play. Kids can race a parent, a sibling or a friend from class, and the levels grow with them, from sums up to 20 to the times tables and beyond. A one-minute race is a quick daily practice that doesn’t feel like homework.

Speed Math FAQ

Is Speed Math free?

Yes. Start a race on this page and send the link. Your friend taps it and plays in the browser, with no app, no account and no cost.

Which sums are there?

Five levels: plus and minus up to 20, plus and minus up to 100, the times tables, all four mixed, and hard sums with bigger numbers. Each race has ten or twenty sums, the easier ones first.

What happens if I type a wrong answer?

The answer shakes and clears, and three seconds are added to your time. Try again. After three wrong tries the right answer is shown, and the next sum follows.

Is it good for kids?

Yes. The easiest level is plus and minus up to 20, and the big number pad is easy to use on a phone or tablet. There’s no chat and no sign-up: only someone you send the link to can play.

How long does a race take?

Ten sums take about a minute, twenty about two. Your friend doesn’t have to play at the same time: the link stays open for 48 hours after the last move.