Charts - MS word

A chart is a tool you can use to communicate information graphically. Including a chart in your document can help you illustrate numerical data—such as comparisons and trends—so it's easier for the reader to understand.

Types of charts

There are several types of charts to choose from. To use charts effectively, you'll need to understand what makes each one unique.

Click the arrows in the slideshow below to learn more about the types of charts in Word.



Word has a variety of chart types, each with its own advantages. Click the arrows to see some of the different types of charts available in Word.



Column charts use vertical bars to represent data. They can work with many different types of data, but they're most frequently used for comparing information



Line charts are ideal for showing trends. The data points are connected with lines, making it easy to see whether values are increasing or decreasing over time.



Pie charts make it easy to compare proportions. Each value is shown as a slice of the pie, so it's easy to see which values make up the percentage of a whole.



Bar charts work just like column charts, but they use horizontal rather than vertical bars.



Area charts are similar to line charts, except the areas under the lines are filled in.



Surface charts allow you to display data across a 3D landscape. They work best with large data sets, allowing you to see a variety of information at the same time.

Identifying the parts of a chart

In addition to chart types, you'll need to understand how to read a chart. Charts contain several different elements—or parts—that can help you interpret data.

Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn about the different parts of a chart.

1. Chart Title: The title should clearly describe what the chart is illustrating
2. Vertical Axis: The vertical axis (also known as the y axis) is the vertical part of the chart. Here, the vertical axis measures the value of the columns. In this example, the measured value is each genre's total sales.
3. Horizontal Axis: The horizontal axis (also known as the x axis) is the horizontal part of the chart. Here, the horizontal axis identifies the categories in the chart. In this example, each genre is placed in its own group.
4. Legend: The legend identifies which data series each color on the chart represents. In this example, the legend identifies the different months in the chart.
5. Data Series: The data series consists of the related data points in a chart. In this example, as we can see in the legend, the yellow columns represent net sales in February.