Summary
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 – 1st value, 2nd smallest value, 3rd smallest value, etc.
Purpose
Get the nth smallest value
Return value
The nth smallest value in the array.
Syntax
=SMALL (array, n)
Arguments
- array – A range of cells from which to extract smallest values.
- n – An integer that specifies the position from the smallest value, i.e. the nth position.
Usage notes
The SMALL function is useful when you want to retrieve “lowest” values from a set of data. For example, the first, second, and third fastest times in a race.
array can be an array constant or a range of cells.
n is the position away from the largest value. For example, use 2 for the 2nd largest value, 3 for the 3rd largest value, etc.
Microsoft uses “k” instead of “n” in their function documentation. Exceljet uses n because “nth” is more familiar than “kth”.
