dyscalculia

American  

[dis-kal-kyoo-lee-uh] / ˌdɪs kælˈkju li ə /

noun

1. a learning disability that impacts a person's ability to understand, process, and utilize numerical information and mathematical concepts.

---

dyscalculia British  

/ ˌdɪskælˈkjuːlɪə /

noun

1. severe difficulty in making simple mathematical calculations, due to cerebral disease or injury

---

Etymology

Origin of dyscalculia

First recorded in 1950–55; dys- + calcul(ate) + -ia

Explanation

Dyscalculia is a learning disorder that makes it hard to understand numbers and calculations. People who really struggle with math are sometimes diagnosed with dyscalculia. Dyscalculia, literally "counting badly," comes from the Greek dys-, "badly," and the Latin calculare, which means "to count." People with dyscalculia have brains that work perfectly well in other areas, like reading or spatial reasoning. But when it comes to numbers, they have enormous difficulty. Often, a young child with dyscalculia can't look at several objects and calculate how many there are — it's an early sign they might have the condition.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dyscalculia

However, she said there were currently no plans to introduce a national definition of dyscalculia.

From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026

Lucy is also campaigning for children with dyscalculia to be allowed to use calculators and their personal notes or work books, something she described as Ava's "maths bible," in SATs tests and GCSEs.

From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026

Last month, Baroness Bull asked the government what steps were being taken to raise awareness of dyscalculia among educators, including special educational needs co-ordinators, and to ensure dyscalculic pupils had specialist support.

From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026

Professor Kirby says many ADHD'ers also have dyscalculia - a condition that makes it hard to process number-based information.

From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2024

When having lunch with a friend, Jackson heard about a disorder known as dyscalculia.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 18, 2023