Large function

This article describes the formula syntax and usage of the LARGE function in Microsoft Excel.

Description

Returns the k-th largest value in a data set. You can use this function to select a value based on its relative standing. For example, you can use LARGE to return the highest, runner-up, or third-place score.

Syntax

LARGE(array, k)

The LARGE function syntax has the following arguments:

• Array    Required. The array or range of data for which you want to determine the k-th largest value.

• K    Required. The position (from the largest) in the array or cell range of data to return.

Remarks

• If array is empty, LARGE returns the #NUM! error value.

• If k ≤ 0 or if k is greater than the number of data points, LARGE returns the #NUM! error value.

If n is the number of data points in a range, then LARGE(array,1) returns the largest value, and LARGE(array,n) returns the smallest value.

Example

Copy the example data in the following table, and paste it in cell A1 of a new Excel worksheet. For formulas to show results, select them, press F2, and then press Enter. If you need to, you can adjust the column widths to see all the data.

Data	Data
3	4
5	2
3	4
5	6
4	7
Formula	Description	Result
=LARGE(A2:B6,3)	3rd largest number in the numbers above	5
=LARGE(A2:B6,7)	7th largest number in the numbers above	4