FISHER Function in Excel: Fisher Transformation of a Correlation

FISHER Function in Excel: Fisher Transformation of a Correlation 1
⏱ 1 min readUpdated 5 October 2026

StatisticsLevel: ExpertAvailable in: Excel 2007+

In this article
  1. Syntax
  2. Examples
  3. Example 1
  4. FISHER in practice
  5. Where you will use it
  6. Worked example
  7. Mistakes people make
  8. Related functions

FISHER transforms a correlation coefficient so it is roughly normal, which lets you build confidence intervals and compare correlations.

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Syntax

=FISHER(x)
Argument What it means
x Correlation between -1 and 1 (exclusive)

Examples

Example 1

=ROUND(FISHER(A2),4)

Result: 0.5493. See the worked example table below for more cases.

FISHER in practice

Where you will use it

  • Confidence interval for a correlation
  • Comparing two correlations
  • Averaging correlations

Worked example

rFormulaResult
0.5=ROUND(FISHER(A2),4)0.5493
0.9=ROUND(FISHER(A3),4)1.4722
-0.3=ROUND(FISHER(A4),4)-0.3095

Results calculated in Excel.

Mistakes people make

MistakeWhat to do instead
r of exactly 1 or -1#NUM!
Forgetting to transform backUse FISHERINV

FISHERINV · CORREL

📚 Part of the free Excel course: Beginner → Expert · Try it in the Formula Lab or ask the AI Helper.

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