What context can I use each word in?
Learn when and how to use these words with these examples!
decile
Example
The top decile of earners in the country make up a significant portion of the total income. [decile: noun]
Example
She scored in the ninth decile on the math test, indicating that she performed better than 90% of her peers. [decile: adjective]
quantile
Example
The 75th quantile of the data set represents the value below which 75% of the observations fall. [quantile: noun]
Example
He scored in the second quantile on the reading test, indicating that he performed better than only 25% of his peers. [quantile: adjective]
Good things to know
Which word is more common?
Quantile is more commonly used than decile in scientific and academic contexts, particularly in natural sciences. However, decile is still commonly used in social sciences, such as economics and sociology.
Whatโs the difference in the tone of formality between decile and quantile?
Both decile and quantile are formal terms used primarily in academic and scientific contexts, and are less common in everyday language.
