How can you add eight 8s to get 1,000?

How to think about it

1. Eight single 8s add up to only 64, so some of the 8s must be joined into larger numbers like 88 or 888.
2. Try the biggest piece first: 888 uses three 8s and leaves 112 to make with five 8s.
3. Of those five, 88 uses two 8s and leaves 24 to make with three 8s.
4. Three single 8s make 24. Check the total: 888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 1,000.

Why “888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8” is the answer

The sum 888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 uses exactly eight 8s and equals 1,000. Working from the largest piece down keeps the search short: once you commit to 888, the rest falls out in two steps. There is no other way to do it with eight 8s and addition alone.

Common wrong answers

• 8 × 125. Multiplication is not allowed; the riddle says add, and 125 is not made of 8s.
• 888 + 88 + 24. The total is right, but 24 is not written with 8s; it has to be 8 + 8 + 8.