Turning word problems into equations

Published October 2026.

Word problems feel hard because they test two skills at once: translation (words → math) and computation. Separate them and each becomes easy.

The 4-step translation

1. Name the unknown. “A number” becomes x, write “let x = the number” before anything else.
2. Translate phrases literally. “5 more than twice x” = 2x + 5, in that order. “Is” always becomes =.
3. Solve the equation. Now it is pure computation, use the solver to check your steps.
4. Answer in words. x = 7 is not the answer; “the number is 7” is. Then sanity-check: does 7 fit the story?

Example

“A rectangle’s length is 3 more than twice its width; perimeter is 36.” Let w = width. Length = 2w + 3. Perimeter: 2w + 2(2w + 3) = 36 → 6w + 6 = 36 → w = 5, length = 13. Check: 2(5) + 2(13) = 36. ✓