Excel PERMUT Function

The PERMUT function returns the number of permutations for a given number of items. A permutation is a combination where order matters. In other words, a permutation is an ordered combination.

There are two types of permutations:

1. Permutations where repetition is not allowed (i.e. 123)
2. Permutations where repetition is allowed (i.e. 333)

The PERMUT function calculates permutations where repetitions are not allowed. To calculate permutations where repetitions are allowed, use the PERMUTATIONA function.

Example

To use PERMUT, specify the total number of items and "number chosen", which represents the number of items in each combination. For example, to calculate 3-number permutations for the numbers 0-9, there are 10 numbers and 3 chosen, so the formula is:

=PERMUT(10,3) // returns 720

This result can be seen in cell D8 in the example shown.

Notes

• A permutation is a group of items in which order/sequence matters.
• If order is not significant, see the COMBIN function.
• Arguments that contain decimal values are truncated to integers.
• PERMUT returns a #VALUE! error value if either argument is not numeric.
• PERMUT returns #NUM! if number is less than number chosen.