statistics
B2Formal, Academic, Technical, Business
Definition
Meaning
The practice or science of collecting and analysing numerical data in large quantities, especially for the purpose of inferring proportions in a whole from those in a representative sample.
A collection of quantitative data; a piece of information expressed as a number or percentage.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The word is a mass noun when referring to the science or discipline (e.g., 'Statistics is challenging'). It is a plural count noun when referring to numerical facts or data (e.g., 'The statistics are alarming').
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. The singular verb with the discipline sense and plural verb with the data sense is standard in both varieties.
Connotations
Neutral in both, though can carry negative connotations of manipulation or 'lies' in informal contexts (e.g., 'lies, damned lies, and statistics').
Frequency
Equally frequent in academic, media, and business contexts in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
N + on + NP (statistics on crime)N + for + NP (statistics for the region)N + show/reveal/indicate + that-clauseN + be + Adj (The statistics are misleading)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Lies, damned lies, and statistics.”
- “A statistic (to become just another anonymous victim or case).”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used for market analysis, performance metrics, and financial reporting (e.g., 'The quarterly sales statistics exceeded forecasts').
Academic
Core term in mathematics, social sciences, and research methodology (e.g., 'The study applied advanced statistics to validate the hypothesis').
Everyday
Used when discussing sports results, opinion polls, or general facts (e.g., 'The statistics show it rains more in April').
Technical
Refers to specific branches like Bayesian statistics, or computational methods in data science.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The team will statistic the results for the annual report.
- We need to statistic the survey responses before the meeting.
American English
- The department will statistic the findings for publication.
- They hired a consultant to statistic the market data.
adverb
British English
- The data was analysed statistically.
- The results are statistically insignificant.
American English
- The sample was chosen statistically.
- The difference is statistically relevant.
adjective
British English
- The statistical analysis was peer-reviewed.
- We need statistical significance for the claim.
American English
- The statistical model predicted the outcome.
- Provide statistical evidence to support your argument.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- We learned simple statistics in maths class.
- The statistics about the weather are interesting.
- Government statistics show that unemployment is falling.
- Can you check the statistics for last year's sales?
- The crime statistics for the city have been steadily improving over the past decade.
- Accurate statistics are essential for formulating effective public policy.
- While the preliminary statistics are promising, a more rigorous multivariate analysis is required to establish causality.
- The researcher deftly employed Bayesian statistics to account for the uncertainty in the observational data.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: STATE + IST + ICS. The STATE collects ISTs (specialists) who work with ICS (numbers) to understand trends.
Conceptual Metaphor
STATISTICS ARE A LENS/TOOL (for viewing reality); STATISTICS ARE EVIDENCE/PROOF.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid using 'статистика' as a direct translation for a single data point; in English, 'a statistic' is possible but less common than 'a figure' or 'a data point'.
- Remember the verb agreement: 'Statistics is' (the science) vs. 'Statistics are' (the numbers).
Common Mistakes
- Using a singular verb with the data sense (incorrect: 'The statistics shows...').
- Misspelling as 'statistcs' or 'statisitcs'.
- Confusing 'statistic' (singular noun for one piece of data) with 'statistics'.
Practice
Quiz
Which sentence uses 'statistics' correctly as the name of the scientific discipline?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends. When referring to the academic discipline, it is treated as singular ('Statistics is a branch of mathematics'). When referring to numerical data, it is plural ('The statistics are compelling').
'Data' is raw, unprocessed information (which can be qualitative or quantitative). 'Statistics' typically refers to processed, analysed, and summarised quantitative data, or the science of doing so.
A singular 'statistic' is one piece of statistical data or a single calculated value (e.g., a mean, a percentage) derived from a dataset.
No, it is not standard. Use 'a statistic' for a single piece of data, or 'some statistics'/'the statistics' for the plural data. 'A statistics' is considered an error.
Collections
Part of a collection
Science and Technology
B1 · 47 words · Basic scientific concepts and modern technology.
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