How To Combine Like Terms

Like Terms are those terms that contain identical variables that are raised to identical powers .

This lesson is a part of Onsego GED Prep.

Video Transcription

Let’s talk about something simple and super useful for the GED Math test: combining like terms.

You’ll use this skill any time you need to simplify expressions. And once you understand what like terms are, the rest is just basic math.

What are like terms?

Like terms are parts of an expression that have the same variable.

• For example, 3x and 5x are like terms—they both have an x.
• The numbers 2 and 6 are like terms too—they’re just plain numbers.
• But 4x and 4y are not like terms, because x and y are different.

When we combine like terms, we just add or subtract the numbers in front of them. These numbers are called coefficients.

Example 1: Start simple

Simplify:
(3x + 2) + (5x + 6)

Step one: remove the parentheses. Since we’re adding, we can drop the parentheses and rewrite the expression as:

3x + 2 + 5x + 6

Now group the like terms:

• 3x and 5x
• 2 and 6

Now add:

• 3x + 5x = 8x
• 2 + 6 = 8

Final answer: 8x + 8

Example 2: Adding a negative number

Simplify:
(4x + 1) + (–2x + 3)

We’re adding the second group of terms, so we just drop the parentheses. That gives us:

4x + 1 + (–2x) + 3

Now here’s something important to remember:
Adding a negative number is the same as subtracting.

So instead of writing plus negative 2x, we can just write minus 2x.

Now the expression looks like this:

4x + 1 – 2x + 3

Now combine the like terms:

• 4x – 2x = 2x
• 1 + 3 = 4

Final answer: 2x + 4

Quick Tip to Remember

• Combine x terms with x terms
• Combine number terms with number terms
• Adding a negative is the same as subtracting
• And if there’s a plus in front of the parentheses, just drop the parentheses and keep the signs the same

That’s it! Combining like terms is all about spotting what goes together and doing simple addition or subtraction. You’ll see this skill show up in many types of math problems, so let’s practice a few more together to make sure you’re comfortable.

Last Updated on January 15, 2026.