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Is 33 a prime number?

33 is not a prime number. Here is the quickest way to see it.

The answer

No. 33 is not a prime number: 3 × 11 = 33.

How to see that 33 is not prime

Its digits add up to 3 + 3 = 6, which is a multiple of 3. That means 33 is a multiple of 3 too, so 3 is a factor.

33 has four factors: 1 and 33, plus one pair in between, 3 and 11.

Split 33 into prime factors

33 splits straight into two primes, 3 × 11, so its factor tree has only one branch.

33 in the times tables

33 turns up in 2 different times tables, the 3 and 11: 3 × 11 and 11 × 3.

Quick checks that catch 33

  • The digits add up to 6, which is in the 3 times table, so 3 goes in.
  • Its two digits match, and every two-digit number like that is in the 11 times table.

33 at a glance

In words
thirty-three
In Roman numerals
XXXIII
Odd or even
Odd: it ends in 3
Its factors add up to
48, or 15 without 33 itself, which makes 33 a deficient number

The numbers either side of 33

  • 32 is not prime. 32 is even, and every even number can be divided by 2, so 2 is a factor as well as 1 and 32. Check 32 in full
  • 34 is not prime. 34 is even, and every even number can be divided by 2, so 2 is a factor as well as 1 and 34. Check 34 in full

Related pages

More numbers

Questions parents ask

Which prime numbers are either side of 33?

31 below it and 37 above it, a gap of 6.

What is 33 squared?

33 × 33 = 1089.

What is the smallest number with as many factors as 33?

6. It has 4 factors, the same as 33.

Number facts are the base of 11+ maths

Factors, multiples, primes and square numbers come up all over 11+ maths, from simplifying fractions to ratio. The free diagnostic checks maths, English and both kinds of reasoning, and shows what to practise next. No card is required.