There are two types of permutations: The PERMUT function calculates permutations where repetitions are not allowed. To calculate permutations where repetitions are allowed, use the PERMUTATIONA function.

Example

To use PERMUT, specify the total number of items and “number_chosen”, which represents the number of items in each combination. For example, to calculate 3-number permutations for the numbers 0-9, there are 10 numbers and 3 chosen, so the formula is: This result can be seen in cell D8 in the example shown.

Notes

A permutation is a group of items in which order/sequence matters. If order is not significant, see the COMBIN function. Arguments that contain decimal values are truncated to integers. PERMUT returns a #VALUE! error value if either argument is not numeric. PERMUT returns #NUM! if number is less than number_chosen.

Dave Bruns

Hi - I’m Dave Bruns, and I run Exceljet with my wife, Lisa. Our goal is to help you work faster in Excel. We create short videos, and clear examples of formulas, functions, pivot tables, conditional formatting, and charts.