What is a Tally Chart?

Each data, value, or category is represented by a tally mark, and the group of five tally marks is crossed out, making a set of five. These gates are summed up to indicate the frequency.

The main advantage of tally charts is their simplicity. They are easy to create and read as filling a chart with simple marks is way faster than using words or numbers, and automatically grouping them in five simplifies analyzing the frequency.

The tally chart component

Categories, values, or intervals within the tally chart are placed in one axis or one horizontal column. When all the data is collected, the tallies are counted up and displayed in total in the next column or row. 

The tally chart usage

Tally charts are beneficial in counting ongoing results, such as the sports scores or survey results when no intermediate results need to be erased or discarded.