How-to · Place value · Updated October 2, 2026
What is the difference between the nearest tenth and the nearest ten?
Direct answer
Nearest tenth means one digit after the decimal, a multiple of 0.1. Nearest ten means the tens place, a multiple of 10. So 7,445 → 7445.0 to the nearest tenth, and 7,445 → 7450 to the nearest ten. The extra “th” changes the place.
Same number, two places
| Number | Nearest tenth | Nearest ten |
|---|---|---|
| 36.89753 | 36.9 | 40 |
| 8.329 | 8.3 | 10 |
| 190.45 | 190.5 | 190 |
| 652.77 | 652.8 | 650 |
| 7,445 | 7445.0 | 7450 |
| 8 | 8.0 | 10 |
For a tenth, the hundredths digit decides. For a ten, the ones digit decides. 190.45 → 190.5 because the hundredths digit is 5.
Cases that change the ones digit
- Whole numbers. 8 to the nearest tenth is 8.0. You add a decimal zero. You do not round it to 10.
- A 9 in the tenths place. 1.965 → 2.0. The hundredths digit is 6, so 9 rounds up, becomes 0, and 1 carries into the ones place. Keep the “.0”.
- Do not double-round. 6.7499 → 6.7, not 6.8. Only the hundredths digit (4) counts. Later digits do not get their own rounding pass.
- Negatives. −4.56 → -4.6. −2.25 → -2.3 (a 5 moves away from zero).
Nearest tenth of a percent
Round the percentage the same way and keep the % sign. 46.67% → 46.7%. 89.95% → 90.0%. That is one decimal place in the percent, not “divide by 10 and drop the sign.”
Limits
- This page uses the school rule: an exact 5 rounds away from zero.
- Some software uses round-half-to-even (banker’s rounding). Under that rule an exact tie such as 190.45 can stay at 190.4. Homework that says “round 5 up” wants 190.5.
Use the calculator
Digit-by-digit examples: how to round to the nearest tenth. Divisions and roots: 14 ÷ 9 and √30. Try a number in the nearest tenth calculator.