Count by 12 (Skip Counting by 12s)

Count by 12

Here we will show you how to count by 12, discuss counting by 12 patterns, and tell you why knowing how to count by 12 matters. To start off, note that Count by 12 means counting in 12s, or count by twelves, and it is also called skip counting by 12.

How to count by 12
Normally, we would count by 1 like this: 1, 2, 3, 4, etc., but when we count by 12, we count 12, 24, 36, 48, and so on.

In other words, to count in intervals of 12 or skip counting by 12, we start with 12 and then add 12 to get the next number, and then continue adding 12 to the previous number to keep counting by 12, like this:

12
12 + 12 = 24
24 + 12 = 36
36 + 12 = 48
48 + 12 = 60
...

You can of course skip count by 12 forever, so it is impossible to make a list of all numbers, but below is a Count by 12 Chart of the first 100 numbers to get you started.

Looking at the chart above, you will see that the first column has the first ten numbers you get when you skip count by 12, the second column has the next ten numbers you get when you skip count by 12, and so forth.

Count by 12 Patterns
We organized the Skip Counting by 12s Chart above in 10 rows and 10 columns so you can easily identify patterns.

Skip counting always creates patterns. Figuring out these patterns may help you if want to count by 12, but don't have the Counting by 12s Chart above. Obviously, one pattern with counting by 12s is that the number increases by 12.

Furthermore, if you look at each row above, each number in the row has the same last digit (ones place). That means that every tenth number has the same last digit.

If you look down the columns, you will see that the last digit (ones place) repeats itself in blocks of 5 over and over. The pattern of the last digit when you count by 12 goes 2, 4, 6, 8, 0 and 2, 4, 6, 8, 0 and so on for as long as you count by 12.

Why Count by 12?
We think that understanding and learning about skip counting by 12 is important, because it teaches you how the arithmetic operations fit together. Below are some examples of what we mean.

When you count by twelve, you are also creating a list of multiples of 12 that you can use in math when you need the least common multiple. 12 times n equals the nth multiple or skip count of 12.

When you skip count by 12, you are also creating a list of numbers that 12 is divisible by. On top of that, skip counting by 12 is the same as making the 12 times table.

Skip Counting
Need to skip count by another number? Enter another number for us to skip count for you.

Count by 13
Here is the next number on our list that we used to skip count.