Dot plot maker
Every value gets a dot, and repeated values stack up in a column above the number line.
One column of numbers, or numbers separated by commas or spaces. Repeats stack up.
Drawing…
| Value | Dots |
|---|---|
| 2 | 1 |
| 3 | 3 |
| 4 | 6 |
| 5 | 6 |
| 6 | 3 |
| 7 | 1 |
How to use it
- Step 1Paste or type your numbers — a dot plot is at its best with small, whole-number data like counts or survey answers.
- Step 2Repeated values stack up automatically, so the tallest column is the most common value.
- Step 3Name the axis, then download the plot as a PNG or an SVG, or send it as a link.
Reading a dot plot
Every value in your data is one dot, placed above its spot on the number line. Where a value appears three times, three dots stack up. Nothing is grouped, rounded or summarized, so the plot shows the data itself rather than a picture of it — which is why teachers reach for it when a class is learning what a distribution is.
The shape reads the same way as a histogram's: the tallest column is the mode, a long tail on one side means the data is skewed that way, and a lone dot far from the rest is the sort of value worth asking about. The difference is that here you can count the dots and get the exact frequency, which the table under the plot also lists.
Dot plot, line plot, or a histogram
In American elementary and middle school this chart is usually called a line plot, and it is drawn with crosses instead of dots as often as not; in statistics and in most software it is a dot plot. They are the same chart, and either name is fine to use for what this page makes.
It stops being the right chart when the data gets large or finely measured. Forty whole numbers stack into neat columns; four hundred measurements with two decimal places make four hundred columns one dot tall, and you want a histogram, which groups them into bins.
What to do with decimals
Values that are close but not equal each get a column of their own, which is honest but can look like noise. Rounding the data before you paste it — to the nearest whole number, or the nearest half — is the usual fix, and it is a decision worth stating in a write-up rather than hiding.
Questions and answers
What is a dot plot?
A number line with one dot for every value in the data, stacked where values repeat. It shows the shape of a small data set without grouping anything.
Is a dot plot the same as a line plot?
Yes — in American schools it is usually called a line plot and drawn with crosses, but it is the same chart and reads the same way.
How many values can I plot?
It stays readable up to about fifty or sixty values with plenty of repeats. Beyond that, or with finely measured data, a histogram shows the shape better.
Can I show how many are in each stack?
Tick “Write the count above each stack”, and the frequency table under the plot lists every value with its count.