Stem and Leaf Plot Generator
This stem and leaf plot is built from your list of numbers: the tens form the stem and the ones form the leaves. 18 22 23 27 becomes 1 | 8 and 2 | 2 3 7, read as 18, 22, 23 and 27.
Source: Wikipedia – Stamm-Blatt-Diagramm. Updated: .
How it is calculated
A stem and leaf plot writes the data itself as a chart: each number is split into a stem (the leading digits) and a leaf (the last digit). All numbers with the same stem share one row, with their leaves in order next to it.
How the plot is built
With leaves in ones, the stem is the tens part: 23 becomes stem 2 and leaf 3, 31 becomes stem 3 and leaf 1. The row 2 | 2 3 7 9 therefore stands for 22, 23, 27 and 29. The key, for example “2 | 3 means 23”, tells the reader the unit. For decimal data choose tenths as the leaf unit, and 2 | 3 then means 2.3. A value like −5 gets the stem −0.
Why use it instead of a histogram or tally
The row length shows the distribution like a sideways bar chart, yet every original value stays readable. Median, minimum and maximum can be spotted directly, and clusters and gaps stand out. When many values share one stem, splitting it into leaves 0–4 and 5–9 helps.
- Separate the numbers with spaces, commas, semicolons or line breaks.
- The automatic unit is chosen to give roughly four to twenty stems.
- Values are rounded to the leaf unit; the calculator tells you when that happens.
Frequently asked questions
How do you read a stem and leaf plot?
Join the stem left of the bar with a leaf to its right: stem 4 and leaf 7 make 47 (for leaves in ones). The key below the plot states the unit.
What are split stems?
Each stem appears twice: once with leaves 0 to 4 and once with 5 to 9. This makes the plot clearer when there are many values.
When should I use tenths as the leaf unit?
For data with one decimal place such as 2.3 or 4.8. Then 2 | 3 is the value 2.3 and the leaf is the decimal digit.
Sources and legal basis
- Wikipedia – Stamm-Blatt-Diagramm
- Wikipedia – Stem-and-leaf display
- NIST/SEMATECH e-Handbook of Statistical Methods – Stem and Leaf Plot
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