percentile: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1+ / Academic / TechnicalFormal, Technical, Academic. Most common in statistics, education, psychology, medicine, and data analysis.
Quick answer
What does “percentile” mean?
A value on a scale of 100 that indicates the percentage of a distribution that is equal to or below it. (e.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A value on a scale of 100 that indicates the percentage of a distribution that is equal to or below it. (e.g., the 95th percentile is the value below which 95% of the observations fall).
A statistical measure used to describe the position of a particular value within a dataset. It divides data into 100 equal parts. It can also be used metaphorically to indicate rank or standing within a group (e.g., 'top income percentile').
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is identical in concept and frequency. Minor stylistic preferences may exist in compound terms (e.g., 'percentile rank' is slightly more common in AmE, while 'centile' is a rare BrE variant, chiefly medical).
Connotations
Neutral and technical in both. In educational contexts, often carries high-stakes connotations for parents/students (e.g., 'growth percentile' on standardised tests).
Frequency
Slightly higher frequency in American English due to widespread use in educational testing (e.g., SAT, state assessments) and public health data (e.g., CDC growth charts).
Grammar
How to Use “percentile” in a Sentence
The score is in the [ordinal number] percentile.She scored at the [ordinal number] percentile.Children are measured against growth percentiles.The data point lies at the [ordinal number] percentile of the distribution.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “percentile” in a Sentence
noun
British English
- The school's results place it in the top percentile nationally.
- Paediatricians closely monitor an infant's head circumference percentile.
American English
- His SAT score was in the 98th percentile.
- The report highlighted the 95th percentile income for the metropolitan area.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
"Our product's customer satisfaction scores are in the 99th percentile, significantly outperforming the market average."
Academic
"The participants whose reaction times fell below the 25th percentile were excluded from the analysis as potential outliers."
Everyday
"Your baby's weight is around the 60th percentile, which is perfectly normal and healthy."
Technical
"We used the empirical cumulative distribution function to estimate the 95th percentile value for the annual maximum flood level."
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “percentile”
- Using 'percentile' and 'percentage' interchangeably. (Incorrect: 'A percentile of students passed.' Correct: 'A percentage of students...')
- Saying 'percentile' without an ordinal number (90th, 50th) when a specific value is intended.
- Mixing up 'percentile' and 'percentage point'. (The 75th percentile is not 75% of something; it's a point in a distribution.)
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Technically, the 100th percentile is the maximum value in the dataset, but it is often not used or defined because 100% of data is at or below the maximum. The 99th percentile is more commonly referenced.
A quartile divides data into four equal parts (25% each). A percentile divides data into 100 equal parts (1% each). The 1st quartile is equivalent to the 25th percentile.
Yes, percentiles can be interpolated between data points, resulting in decimal values (e.g., 85.5th percentile) for more precise reporting.
They allow for norm-referenced assessment, showing how a student's performance compares to a defined group (e.g., national peers), which is more informative than a raw score alone.
A value on a scale of 100 that indicates the percentage of a distribution that is equal to or below it. (e.
Percentile is usually formal, technical, academic. most common in statistics, education, psychology, medicine, and data analysis. in register.
Percentile: in British English it is pronounced /pəˈsɛn.taɪl/, and in American English it is pronounced /pərˈsen.taɪl/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: PER-CENT-ILE. A cent is 1/100 of a dollar. A percentile splits data into 100 parts. It's about the 'per hundred' rank.
Conceptual Metaphor
A HIERARCHY/LEAGUE TABLE: Being in a high percentile is like being at the top of a league. A DISTRIBUTION MAP: Percentiles map where a value sits on the landscape of all possible values.
Practice
Quiz
What does the 50th percentile typically represent in a symmetric distribution?