third quartile: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
LowTechnical/Academic
Quick answer
What does “third quartile” mean?
In statistics, the value below which three quarters (75%) of the data points in a sorted dataset lie.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
In statistics, the value below which three quarters (75%) of the data points in a sorted dataset lie.
A measure of statistical dispersion and position, marking the boundary between the upper 25% and the lower 75% of a dataset; often used to describe income distribution, test scores, or other quantifiable data.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No difference in the term itself. In UK English, '75th percentile' is sometimes used interchangeably, though not perfectly synonymous in strict statistical contexts. US usage more commonly employs 'third quartile' directly.
Connotations
Neutral technical term in both.
Frequency
More frequent in US academic and business reports, but equally standard in UK technical writing.
Grammar
How to Use “third quartile” in a Sentence
[The] third quartile of [dataset]to be in the third quartile[Number] marks the third quartileVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “third quartile” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The analyst will third-quartile the dataset to assess performance dispersion.
American English
- We need to third-quartile these figures to complete the box plot.
adverb
British English
- The results were distributed third-quartile high.
American English
- Incomes were grouped third-quartile low in that region.
adjective
British English
- She achieved a third-quartile ranking in the national assessments.
American English
- The third-quartile data point was excluded as an outlier.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used in market analysis reports: 'Our revenue is above the third quartile for companies in our sector.'
Academic
Used in research papers and data analysis: 'The third quartile for the control group was significantly higher.'
Everyday
Rare. Might appear in news articles about income or test scores: 'Families in the third quartile earned between £50,000 and £65,000.'
Technical
Core term in statistics, data science, and econometrics.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “third quartile”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “third quartile”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “third quartile”
- Confusing it with the median (second quartile).
- Using 'third quarter' (a time period) instead of 'third quartile'.
- Incorrectly stating it represents the top 25% (it's the *value* at the boundary, not the set itself).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
In most practical contexts, yes. Technically, for a continuous distribution they are defined the same way. For discrete data, different calculation methods might yield slightly different values.
There are several methods. A common one is to find the median of the upper half of the data (the values above the overall median).
When you want to understand the spread and distribution of your data, especially to see where the top quarter of values begins. The average can be skewed by extreme outliers, whereas Q3 is more robust.
The third quartile is the value at the 75% mark. The maximum is the highest value in the dataset. The range between Q3 and the max contains the top 25% of values, including any extreme outliers.
In statistics, the value below which three quarters (75%) of the data points in a sorted dataset lie.
Third quartile is usually technical/academic in register.
Third quartile: in British English it is pronounced /θɜːd ˈkwɔːtaɪl/, and in American English it is pronounced /θɜrd ˈkwɔːrtaɪl/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “in the top quartile (related concept)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'quartile' as 'quarter.' The THIRD quartile is where the third quarter ends, meaning 75% of the data is behind it.
Conceptual Metaphor
A benchmark or a high-water mark separating the elite top 25% from the rest.
Practice
Quiz
What percentage of data falls below the third quartile (Q3)?