Okuzeka
Mathematics vocabulary · Reading Maths Aloud

Cubed

Meaning in mathematics, with examples

/kjuːbd/adjectiveCore term

In mathematics, cubed means: Multiplied by itself three times; used to read a power of 3 aloud, so x³ is 'x cubed' and 2³ = 8 is 'two cubed is eight'.

In Turkish: küpü, küp

How it is used

Used when reading expressions and formulas, such as the volume of a cube, s³ ('s cubed'). Units like cm³ are usually read 'cubic centimetres'. Higher powers use 'to the power of', or 'to the fourth', 'to the fifth' and so on.

Example sentences

  1. Three cubed is twenty-seven, so the cube root of 27 is 3.

  2. The volume of a cube with side a is a cubed.

Common collocations

  • x cubed
  • cubic centimetres
  • cube root
  • a plus b, all cubed
  • squaredMultiplied by itself; used to read a power of 2 aloud, so x² is 'x squared' and 5² = 25 is 'five squared is twenty-five'.
  • to the power ofRaised to a given exponent; used to read powers aloud, so 2⁵ is 'two to the power of five', which means 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 = 32.
  • volumeThe amount of space a solid object takes up or a container holds, measured in cubic units such as cm³ or m³.
  • exponentThe small raised number that shows how many times a base is multiplied by itself; in 2⁵, the exponent is 5 and the base is 2.

More terms: Reading Maths Aloud

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: