Skip to main content

Is 44 a prime number?

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

The answer

No. 44 is not a prime number: 2 × 22 = 44.

How to see that 44 is not prime

44 is even, and every even number can be divided by 2, so 2 is a factor as well as 1 and 44.

44 has 6 factors (1, 2, 4, 11, 22 and 44), which make 3 factor pairs.

Split 44 into prime factors

Split off the smallest prime each time, and keep going until every part is prime:

  1. 44 = 2 × 22
  2. 44 = 2 × 2 × 11

With the repeated primes written as powers, that is 2² × 11.

44 in the times tables

44 turns up in 2 different times tables, the 4 and 11: 4 × 11 and 11 × 4.

Quick checks that catch 44

  • The last digit, 4, is even, so 2 goes in.
  • Half of it is 22, which is still even, so 4 goes in.
  • Its two digits match, and every two-digit number like that is in the 11 times table.

44 at a glance

In words
forty-four
In Roman numerals
XLIV
Odd or even
Even: it ends in 4
Its factors add up to
84, or 40 without 44 itself, which makes 44 a deficient number

The numbers either side of 44

  • 43 is prime: 2, 3 and 5 do not go into it, and 7 × 7 is already past 43. Check 43 in full
  • 45 is not prime. Its digits add up to 4 + 5 = 9, which is a multiple of 3. That means 45 is a multiple of 3 too, so 3 is a factor. Check 45 in full

Related pages

More numbers

Questions parents ask

Which prime numbers are either side of 44?

43 below it and 47 above it, a gap of 4.

What is 44 squared?

44 × 44 = 1936.

What is the smallest number with as many factors as 44?

12. It has 6 factors, the same as 44.

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.