SMALL

Statistical

Returns the k-th smallest value in a data set.

Translations

EnglishSMALL

FrenchPETITE.VALEUR

SpanishK.ESIMO.MENOR

GermanKKLEINSTE

ItalianPICCOLO

PortugueseMENOR

DutchKLEINSTE

PolishMIN.K

RussianНАИМЕНЬШИЙ

TurkishKÜÇÜK

CzechMALÝ

HungarianKICSI

SwedishMINSTA

DanishLILLE

FinnishPIENI

Syntax

SMALL(array, k)

Arguments

arrayRange of data
kPosition from the smallest

Examples

=SMALL(A1:A100,1)

Minimum

Same as MIN

=SMALL(A1:A100,2)

2nd smallest

Second lowest value

=SMALL(Times,3)

3rd fastest

Third best time

Tips & Best Practices

•SMALL(range,1) equals MIN(range)
•Useful for bottom-N analysis
•Returns #NUM! if k exceeds data count

Common Mistakes

•Passing a k value larger than the number of items in the array, which returns a #NUM! error
•Forgetting SMALL counts duplicates separately - if the two smallest values are tied, SMALL(range,1) and SMALL(range,2) both return that same value
•Using SMALL on a range with blank cells, expecting them to be treated as the smallest values - blanks are actually ignored, not treated as zero

Related Functions

LARGEReturns the k-th largest value instead of the k-th smallest, the mirror function.

MINReturns just the single smallest value, a simpler version of SMALL(range,1).

RANKTells you the rank of a specific value, rather than the value at a specific rank position.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if k is bigger than the count of values in my range?

SMALL returns a #NUM! error - there's no 10th smallest value in a 5-item list, for example.

Does SMALL treat blank cells as zero?

No, blank cells are ignored entirely, not counted as zero values in the ranking.

What's the difference between SMALL(range,1) and MIN(range)?

They return the same result - SMALL with k=1 is a more flexible version of MIN that can also get the 2nd, 3rd, or nth smallest value.

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