GAMMA Function in Excel: The Gamma Function

GAMMA Function in Excel: The Gamma Function 1
⏱ 1 min readUpdated 5 October 2026

StatisticsLevel: ExpertAvailable in: Excel 2013+

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

GAMMA extends factorials to non-whole numbers: GAMMA(n) = (n-1)! for whole n.

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Syntax

=GAMMA(number)
Argument What it means
number Any number except 0 and negative integers

Examples

Example 1

=ROUND(GAMMA(A2),4)

Result: 24. See the worked example table below for more cases.

GAMMA in practice

Where you will use it

  • Advanced statistics formulas
  • Engineering
  • Teaching factorials

Worked example

nFormulaResult
5=ROUND(GAMMA(A2),4)24
0.5=ROUND(GAMMA(A3),4)1.7725
4.5=ROUND(GAMMA(A4),4)11.6317

Results calculated in Excel.

Mistakes people make

MistakeWhat to do instead
Zero or negative integers#NUM!
Expecting n!GAMMA(5) = 4! = 24

GAMMALN · FACT

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

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