What is a tally chart?
A tally chart is a quick way to count answers while you collect them. Each category gets a row, and every answer adds one tally mark to its row. Marks are grouped in fives: four upright lines, then a fifth line drawn across them. Groups of five make the marks easy to count, because children can count 5, 10, 15 and then add the single lines left over. The number in the total column is the frequency, so a tally chart with totals is also a simple frequency table.
Here is a tally chart example from a class survey about pets: Dogs got one group of five and two more lines, so 7; Cats got one full group, so 5; Fish got three single lines, so 3. Seven plus five plus three makes 15 children in all, and Dogs had 4 more votes than Fish.
How to make a tally chart
- Ask one question with a few clear answers, such as "Which fruit do you like best?", and write each answer as a category.
- Add one mark per answer. Cross the fifth mark through the four before it, then start a new group.
- Count by fives, then add the single lines, and write the total.
- Check the total: the totals should add up to the number of people asked.
- Show it as a bar graph and ask questions: which is the most popular, which the least, how many more.
| Grade | Data skill | Common Core |
|---|---|---|
| 1st grade | Organize data in up to three categories and answer how many in all, how many more | 1.MD.C.4 |
| 2nd grade | Make a picture graph and a bar graph with up to four categories | 2.MD.D.10 |
| 3rd grade | Scaled picture and bar graphs; one- and two-step "how many more" questions | 3.MD.B.3 |
Online tally chart maker, blank templates and worksheets
Tally chart maker: type a title and up to 12 categories, then press +1 next to a category for every answer, or type a number after a category to start from it. The chart redraws as you count, so you can run the survey live on the board. Choose whether to show the totals, leave the total column empty for children to fill in, or drop it, and add a bar graph under the chart. A behavior tally chart or a count of who has had a turn works the same way. Your categories stay on this page and are never sent anywhere.
Blank tally chart: print an empty printable tally chart with 4 to 10 rows, one or two per page, with a title line and Category, Tally and Total columns, ready for a survey children run themselves.
Tally chart worksheets: pick a survey (fruit, pets, colors, sports, weather or how we get to school), 3 to 6 rows and numbers up to 10, 20 or 30. Read the tallies shows the marks and asks five questions: how many for one row, which row has the most, which has the fewest, how many more, and how many in all. Each row gets a different number, so there is always one clear answer. Draw the tallies gives the totals and leaves the tally column for children to fill. Set Answers to Show for the answer key on the same chart; New worksheet draws new numbers. These tally chart worksheets suit 1st to 3rd grade and are a gentle tally chart for kids who are just starting with data. For counting by fives first, use the hundreds chart, and for drawing bar graphs by hand, graph paper.
How we tested this tool
We checked the tool by script in Google Chrome on Windows across 898 sheets: worksheets for all six surveys with 3 to 6 rows, numbers up to 10, 20 or 30, with and without answers and bar graph, makers with 1 to 12 categories and counts from 0 to 200, and blank templates with 4 to 10 rows, on Letter and A4. In 4,032 table rows every tally has exactly one crossed group per five plus the single lines left over, and no tally runs out of its cell; very large counts wrap onto more lines and the marks shrink until the chart fits the page. Every worksheet row has a different number, and all five answers (how many, most, fewest, how many more, in all) were recomputed from the chart and matched. Bar heights match the counts on the scale, nothing leaves the page and no two labels overlap. The +1 and − buttons change the right category and Set all to 0 clears them. The first layout drew small marks even when the rows had room, so the marks now start larger. We printed sheets to PDF with Microsoft Edge (one US Letter portrait page) and tested the page at a 375 px phone width.
Frequently asked questions
What is a tally chart?
A table for counting answers as you collect them. Each category has a row, every answer adds one tally mark, and the marks are grouped in fives so the total is quick to count.
How do you draw tally marks for 5?
Draw four upright lines, then a fifth line across them. For 7, draw one crossed group of five and two more single lines.
What is the difference between a tally chart and a frequency table?
A tally chart records each answer as a mark while you count. A frequency table lists the totals as numbers. A tally chart with a total column does both: the totals are the frequencies.
How do I make a tally chart online?
Choose Tally chart maker, type a title and your categories, then press +1 for each answer. The marks, totals and an optional bar graph update as you go, and you can print the chart or save it as a PDF.
Can I print a blank tally chart?
Yes. Choose Blank template, pick 4 to 10 rows and one or two charts per page. Each chart has a title line and Category, Tally and Total columns.
Is there an answer key for the worksheets?
Yes. Set Answers to Show and print again. Read-the-tallies sheets get the totals and the answers to the five questions; draw-the-tallies sheets get the tally marks, on the same chart.