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5/6 as a percentage

5 ÷ 6 × 100 never comes out exactly: it is 83.333...%, which is 83 1/3%.

The answer

5/6 = 83 1/3%

That is 83.3%, where the 3 repeats for ever, or 83.3% to 1 decimal place.

How to turn 5/6 into a percentage

Per cent means out of 100, so a percentage is a fraction with a bottom of 100.

6 does not go exactly into 100, so there is no whole-number way to make the bottom 100. Go through the decimal instead:

  1. Divide the top by the bottom: 5 ÷ 6 = 0.83, where the 3 repeats for ever.
  2. Multiply by 100, which moves every digit two places to the left: 83.3%, where the 3 repeats for ever.

To write it exactly, divide 500 by 6 and keep the remainder: 500 ÷ 6 = 83 remainder 2. The remainder is 2/6 of a per cent, which simplifies to 1/3, so 5/6 = 83 1/3%.

Rounded to 1 decimal place, 5/6 is 83.3%. To the nearest whole per cent, it is 83%.

5/6 as a fraction, decimal and percentage

FractionDecimalPercentage
5/60.83, where the 3 repeats for ever83 1/3%

Multiply the top and bottom by the same number and the fraction keeps its value: 5/6, 10/12, 15/18, 20/24 and 25/30 are all equal.

Looking for 10/12? It is the same as 5/6, so it gives the same decimal and percentage.

The bar is cut into 6 equal parts and 5 are shaded.

All the sixths

A sixth is half of a third, so 1/6 = 0.1666..., half of 0.333.... The only sixths in lowest terms are 1/6 and 5/6: 2/6, 3/6 and 4/6 simplify to 1/3, 1/2 and 2/3.

5/6 sits between 3/4 (0.75) and 1. It is closer to 3/4.

FractionPercentage
1/616 2/3%
5/683 1/3%

Shade 5/6 on a fraction wall

The wall opens with 5/6 shaded in the sixths row. Look straight down: no other row ends in exactly the same place, so no other fraction on this wall equals 5/6. Tap other pieces to try more fractions.

A fraction wall from halves to tenths, opening on 5/6.

Keep going

Questions parents ask

What is 5/6 as a percentage?

5/6 = 83.333...%, which is exactly 83 1/3%. To 1 decimal place, that is 83.3%.

What percentage is 5 out of 6?

5 out of 6 is 83 1/3%, because 5 out of 6 is the fraction 5/6. For a test score, you would usually round it to 1 decimal place: 83.3%.

How do you turn 5/6 into a percentage?

Divide the top by the bottom to get the decimal, 0.8333..., then multiply by 100 to get 83.333...%.

What is 5/6 as a decimal?

5/6 = 0.8333... It is a recurring decimal: the 3 repeats for ever. To 2 decimal places, it is 0.83.

Is 5/6 more or less than 50%?

5/6 is more than 50%: 0.8333... is more than 0.5. Half of 6 is 3, and 5 is more than 3.

Fractions, decimals and percentages run all through 11+ maths

Converting between them turns up in 11+ questions on percentages, ratio, money and data. The free diagnostic checks maths, English and both kinds of reasoning, and shows what to practise next. No card is required.