subitize

[ soo-bi-tahyz ]

verb (used with or without object)

, Psychology.

, su·bi·tized, su·bi·tiz·ing.

1. to make an immediate and accurate reckoning of (the number of items in a group or sample) without needing to pause and actually count them: for an average adult, the maximum number of such items is generally observed to be six:

   No one on our team was able to subitize the sets with eight or more triangles.

   It seems that some people can subitize more proficiently at certain times of the day.

subitize

/ ˈsʌbɪˌtaɪz /

verb

1. psychol to perceive the number of (a group of items) at a glance and without counting

   the maximum number of items that can be subitized is about five

Word History and Origins

Origin of subitize¹

First recorded in 1945–50; from Latin subit(us) “sudden” or Late Latin subit(āre) “to appear suddenly” ( subito ) + -ize

Word History and Origins

Origin of subitize¹

C20: from Latin subitus sudden + -ize

More About Subitize

What does subitize mean?

To subitize is to identify the number of things in a set simply by quickly looking at them—not by counting them one by one.

The practice of subitizing has its roots in psychology, but it is now taught in some preschools and early grades in addition to traditional counting.

Example: Humans can subitize up to seven objects at once without having to count.

Where does subitize come from?

Subitize was introduced in a 1949 journal article by a research team led by psychologist E. L. Kaufman, who credited language professor Cornelia Coulter with coining it. It is most likely formed from a combination of the Latin subit(us), meaning “sudden” (or the Late Latin subit(āre), meaning “to appear suddenly”), and the suffix -ize, which is used to create verbs.

Subitizing has been studied at length and most results show that humans can subitize up to seven items in a single glance. This is done by grouping the objects into sets (of three and four, for example) and then adding those sets together mentally. In the early 1900s, many scholars theorized that subitizing could be more efficient than counting, especially for young children. Substantial research supports the idea that children are very good at subitizing early in life and can even do it before they can count in some cases. However, some research suggests that subitization is more commonly used by children as a method of speeding up the counting process after basic counting has already been learned. Still, children are often taught to subitize in many schools.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms of subitize?

• subitization (noun)

What are some words that share a root or word element with subitize? 

• subito

What are some words that often get used in discussing subitize?

• count
• analyze
• collection
• unit
• set
• chunking

How is subitize used in real life?

The word subitize is often used in academic and theoretical contexts, but subitizing is also taught to schoolchildren with fun activities and games.

Apps like this enable us to move beyond counting in 1s. Children learn to subitize numbers like 8 as 5 and…or 8 as 10 with…missing pic.twitter.com/0TFmq65M26

— bernie westacott (@berniewestacott) February 10, 2020

We are learning to subitize! We can quickly identify the number in a set without counting!👍🏼 @FVWLricNumerac1 pic.twitter.com/WenrDmtPTn

— Mrs Harkins/Dornan P2H/D (@HarkinsMrs) February 12, 2020

Roll and record with different dice! Roll, subitize and record by printing the number on your paper. Which number rolls the most? #math pic.twitter.com/ubftZeZYw4

— Deanna McLennan Ph.D (@McLennan1977) January 24, 2017

 

 

Try using subitize!

True or false?

Subitizing is the same as counting, just faster.