Written and reviewed by FormulaCraft Team. Each formula on this page is run through our verification engine before publishing.
Last reviewed:
How to find the nth largest value in Excel and Google Sheets
Topic:RANK & statistical aggregatesExcel & Google Sheets
=LARGE(B2:B6,2)✓
Verified example
Computed by a real spreadsheet engine on the sample data below.
| Name | Score |
| Alice | 95 |
| Bob | 82 |
| Carol | 78 |
| Dave | 88 |
| Eve | 91 |
=LARGE(B2:B6,2)→91
Try it with your data
Edit the grid or formula, then run it through a real spreadsheet engine — no signup.
Sample data — click any cell to edit
Runs server-side · free · no signup
Step by step
- 1Select the output cell.
- 2Type =LARGE(.
- 3Select the range of numbers, e.g. B2:B6.
- 4Enter the rank k — type 1 for the largest, 2 for the second largest, etc.
- 5Close the parenthesis and press Enter.
Tips
- =LARGE(B2:B6,1) is equivalent to =MAX(B2:B6).
- If k exceeds the number of values in the range, LARGE returns #NUM! — guard with IFERROR.
- Duplicate values are treated separately: if the two largest values are both 90, LARGE(range,1) and LARGE(range,2) both return 90.
- Use SMALL(range,k) to find the nth smallest value.
Need it for your exact data?
Describe your columns in plain English and get the precise formula for your sheet, with the right Excel or Sheets syntax.
Frequently asked
How do I find the row that contains the nth largest value?
Nest LARGE inside MATCH and then INDEX: =INDEX(A2:A6,MATCH(LARGE(B2:B6,2),B2:B6,0)) returns the name corresponding to the 2nd largest score.
What happens with duplicate values?
LARGE counts each occurrence separately. If 90 appears twice, LARGE(range,1) and LARGE(range,2) both return 90.
More on RANK & statistical aggregates
See all →Reference
RANK.EQ
Returns the rank of a number in a list, assigning the same rank to ties (same as RANK). Essential for leaderboards.
How-toHow to rank values
Rank a number against a list with RANK — highest first or lowest first. Works the same in Excel and Google Sheets.
ReferenceRANK.AVG
Returns the rank of a number, averaging ranks for ties. Useful in statistical analysis where tied ranks should not cluster.
How-toHow to calculate standard deviation
Measure how spread out your numbers are with STDEV for a sample or STDEVP for a whole population. Works in Excel and Google Sheets.
ReferencePERCENTILE
Returns the k-th percentile value from a dataset. Useful for performance benchmarking and threshold analysis.
How-toHow to calculate a weighted average
Combine values and their weights with SUMPRODUCT divided by the total weight. Works the same in Excel and Google Sheets.