Integer Vocabulary Worksheet – Signs and Number Line

All 36 terms

Integers and signs 12

integer A number with no fractional or decimal part. −7, 0 and 12 are integers; 2.5 is not.
minus sign The short dash written for subtracting or for a negative. −3 means negative 3.
natural number Any of the numbers used for counting things, from one up. Some books count 0 as a natural number too.
negative number A number less than zero. −8 is a negative number.
nonnegative Either zero or positive. 0 and 4 are nonnegative; −4 is not.
nonpositive Either zero or negative. 0 and −4 are nonpositive; 4 is not.
plus sign The symbol +, for adding or for a positive number. +3 means positive 3.
positive number A number greater than zero. 8 is a positive number.
rational number An integer divided by a nonzero integer. Every integer is a rational number: 5 = 5/1.
sign The mark of a number as positive or negative. The sign of −6 is negative.
whole number Any counting number, and zero as well. 0, 7 and 15 are whole numbers.
zero The integer that is neither positive nor negative. Zero sits between −1 and 1.

Show all 36 terms (24 more)

On the number line 12

absolute value How far a number lies from zero, whatever its sign. The absolute value of −6 is 6.
ascending Going up from smaller to larger. −4, −1, 3 is an ascending list.
compare To tell whether one number is more, less or the same. To compare −5 and −2: −2 is greater.
consecutive Following one after another with no gaps. −2, −1 and 0 are consecutive integers.
coordinate The number that names a point on a line. The point 5 units left of the origin has the coordinate −5.
descending Going down from larger to smaller. 3, −1, −4 is a descending list.
distance How many units lie between two marks on a line. The distance from −3 to 4 is 7.
infinite Going on without end. The integers are infinite in both directions.
number line A ruler-like drawing that shows numbers in their order. On most number lines, numbers grow to the right.
opposite The number with the same size but the other sign. The opposite of 6 is −6.
order A ranking of values by size. Placed in order, −3 comes before 0 and 0 before 2.
origin The point that stands for 0. Positive numbers lie on one side of the origin and negative numbers on the other.

Operations and real life 12

additive identity The number that changes nothing when added: 0. −4 + 0 = −4.
additive inverse The number that adds to a given number to make 0. The additive inverse of 9 is −9, since 9 + (−9) = 0.
decrease A change that makes an amount smaller. A decrease of 4 from 1 gives −3.
difference The gap between two integers, found by subtracting. The difference 2 − 7 is −5.
increase A change that makes an amount larger. An increase of 4 from −1 gives 3.
parity The evenness or oddness of an integer. 7 and −3 have the same parity: both are odd.
product The amount reached when integers are multiplied. The product of −3 and −4 is 12.
quotient The amount reached when one integer is divided by another. The quotient of −12 and 4 is −3.
sea level The level of the sea's top, used as the zero for heights. A place 20 feet below sea level is at −20 feet.
subtraction The operation that removes one amount from another. Subtraction of an integer is the same as adding its opposite.
sum The amount reached when integers are added. The sum of −3 and 5 is 2.
temperature The reading on a thermometer, in degrees. 5 degrees below zero is written −5°.

How this list was compiled: Term list chosen for this site on 2026-10-03. Each meaning is written in our own words and was checked that day against the entry for the term in Wiktionary, the free dictionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license, and, for the terms with no entry or no fitting sense there (positive number, negative number), against the articles Integer and Negative number in English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license. The terms were chosen with the articles Number line and Absolute value of English Wikipedia open, read the same day. Every example is our own working. The example after each meaning is our own. Every meaning was read against its source again on 2026-10-05. Licence: own work

How it works

This integer vocabulary worksheet prints twelve terms down the left and their meanings, mixed up, down the right. Three sets cover integers and their signs, the number line, and operations and real-life words.

Read the full guide

Printable integer vocabulary worksheets in three sets

Set opens on Integers and signs: integer, positive number, negative number, zero, whole number, natural number, sign, plus sign, minus sign, nonnegative, nonpositive and rational number. On the number line adds origin, opposite, absolute value, distance, consecutive, ascending and descending.

Operations and real life

The third set prints additive inverse, additive identity, sum, difference, product, quotient, sea level, temperature, increase, decrease and parity. Under the tool each term has a worked example, such as: The product of −3 and −4 is 12.

Opposite and additive inverse name the same number, so they sit in different sets.

Questions and answers

What is an integer?

An integer is a number with no fractional or decimal part: a whole number or the negative of a whole number. −7, 0 and 12 are integers; 2.5 and 3/4 are not.

What is the difference between a whole number and an integer?

The whole numbers are 0, 1, 2, 3 and so on. The integers are the whole numbers together with their negatives, so −5 is an integer and not a whole number.

What is the absolute value of a number?

It is how far the number lies from zero on the number line, whatever its sign. The absolute value of −6 is 6, and the absolute value of 6 is also 6.

Does a key print with the worksheet?

Yes. One more page comes out after the sheet, with each term tied to its meaning by a drawn line. The box that controls it is under More options.