Excel formula: nth smallest value

Generic formula

=SMALL(range,nth)

Explanation

To get the 2nd smallest value, 3rd smallest value, 4th smallest value, and so on, from a set of data, you can use the SMALL function.

In the example shown, the formula in G5 is:

=SMALL(times,F5)

How this formula works

The SMALL function is fully automatic — you just need to supply a range and an integer for"nth" to specify the ranked value you want.

The official names for these arguments are "array" and "k".

Note: you can also use the MIN function to get the smallest value (i.e. the largest value).

Author

Dave Bruns

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The Excel SMALL function returns numeric values based on their position in a list ranked by value. In other words, it can retrive "nth smallest" values - smallest value, 2nd smallest value, 3rd smallest value, etc.

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