MODE Function in Excel – Find the Most Frequent Value

Imagine you look at a list of numbers and you want to find the value that repeats the most.

What would you do?

Would you Count each number one by one manually?

Sounds tiring, right?

Luckily, Excel has a built-in function for this — the MODE function.

In simple words:

MODE = the number that appears the most times in your data.

What Is the MODE Function?

The MODE function finds the value that repeats the most in a list of numbers.

It doesn’t care about the highest or lowest value — just the one that repeats the most.

For example:

Numbers → 5, 8, 5, 10, 12, 5

Most repeated → 5

So the MODE is 5.

This is very useful when you want to find patterns or identify the most common value in your dataset.

Syntax:

=MODE.SNGL(number1, [number2], …)

Arguments:

• number1: First value or range
• number2 (optional): Additional numbers or ranges

 Returns one most frequent number

 If multiple values tie, it returns the first one it finds

You can use:

• individual numbers
• ranges
• cell references

Examples:

1. Simple Example:

Numbers: 10, 15, 10, 20, 10, 25

Formula:

=MODE.SNGL(10, 15, 10, 20, 10, 25)

Result → 10

(10 appears the most)

2. Using a Range:

 Sample Data:

Formula:

=MODE.SNGL(A1:A6)

Result → 4

(4 appears three times)

3. No Repeated Values:

Numbers: 5, 7, 9, 11

=MODE.SNGL(5, 7, 9, 11)

Excel returns N/A

→ because no value is repeated.

4. Multiple Modes (Excel picks the first):

Numbers: 2, 3, 2, 4, 4

=MODE.SNGL(A1:A5)

Both 2 and 4 repeat twice,

but Excel returns the first repeated number, which is → 2

But What If You Want ALL Values That Repeat?

Sometimes your list has more than one mode.

for example, two or three numbers repeat the same number of times.

`MODE.SNGL` only gives one of them.

But Excel has another function:

MODE.MULT (MODE.MULTIPLE):

`MODE.MULT` returns all the numbers that repeat the most — not just one.

In simple words:

> MODE.MULT = returns every value that repeats the highest number of times

You enter it as an array formula, but in modern Excel, it spills automatically.

Syntax:

=MODE.MULT(number1, [number2], …)

Examples (MODE.MULT):

Multiple Frequent Values:

Numbers: 2, 3, 2, 4, 4

Both 2 and 4 appear two times.

=MODE.MULT(A1:A5)

Excel returns:

It “spills” the results into the cells below automatically.

Both are modes.

Where Is MODE Useful?

MODE and MODE.MULT are useful when you want to know the most common or most repeated values in your data.

 Great examples:

1. Sales Reports – Find the product quantity sold most often.
2. Attendance – Find the most common number of hours worked.
3. Surveys & Feedback – Find the most selected rating (like “4 stars”).
4. Inventory – Find the most common order size.
5. Student Marks – Find the score most students achieved.

MODE helps you understand patterns — what happens the most.

AVERAGE vs MEDIAN vs MODE – Quick Difference:

Together, these functions give a complete picture of your data.

The MODE functions help you quickly find the most common values in your data — simple, fast, and perfect for understanding patterns in your data.