FISHERINV Function in Excel: Back From Fisher’s z to a Correlation

FISHERINV Function in Excel: Back From Fisher's z to 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. FISHERINV in practice
  5. Where you will use it
  6. Worked example
  7. Mistakes people make
  8. Related functions

FISHERINV reverses FISHER, turning z back into a correlation.

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Syntax

=FISHERINV(y)
Argument What it means
y Fisher z value

Examples

Example 1

=ROUND(FISHERINV(A2),4)

Result: 0.5. See the worked example table below for more cases.

FISHERINV in practice

Where you will use it

  • Converting CI limits back to correlations
  • Averaging correlations correctly
  • Teaching

Worked example

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

Results calculated in Excel.

Mistakes people make

MistakeWhat to do instead
Applying to a correlationInput is z, not r
Rounding too earlyKeep full precision until the end

FISHER

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

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