Meaning & use
percentile
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablemathematicstechnical
One of 100 equal divisions of a ranked set of data, used to show what share of the values lie at or below a given point.
Grammar: Usually follows an ordinal number: the 90th percentile.
Patterns
- the 90th percentile
- in the top percentile
- at the nth percentile
Her score put her in the 95th percentile of all test takers.
The baby's weight is in the 40th percentile for her age.
Salaries at the 75th percentile were much higher than the median.
nouncountabletechnical
A band of people or items within one of those 100 divisions, for instance everyone scoring between the 90th and 91st marks.
Grammar: Used more loosely to mean a group: the top percentile of earners.
Patterns
- the top percentile of something
Only the top percentile of applicants received a scholarship.
Students in the lowest percentile were offered extra tutoring.
Word forms
| plural | percentiles |
|---|
Common combinations
- 90th percentile
- Their response time fell in the 90th percentile.
- top percentile
- He ranks in the top percentile for math.
- percentile rank
- Her percentile rank was 82 on the exam.
- growth percentile
- The doctor checked the child's growth percentile.
- fall in the percentile
- The school's scores fell in the 30th percentile nationwide.
Synonyms and how they differ
- quantile
- Quantile is the broader statistical term for any equal split, and a percentile is the quantile that divides data into 100 parts.
- quartile
- A quartile divides data into four groups, so it is much coarser than a percentile.
- rank
- Rank is a simple position in order, but percentile gives that position relative to the whole group.
Word family
- percent noun
- one part in a hundred
- percentage noun
- an amount expressed as a share of 100
- quantile noun
- a point that divides ranked data into equal groups
- centile noun
- British variant of percentile
Commonly confused: percentile or percentage?
percentile vs percentage
A percentage is a share out of 100. A percentile is a position in a ranked list: scoring 80 percent is not the same as being in the 80th percentile.
Practice
A student scored in the 85th percentile on a national test. What does this mean?
Choose one answer.
A percentile shows standing relative to others, so 85th means she beat about 85 percent. Option 1 confuses percentile with percentage correct.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “percentile”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.