COMBIN in Calligra Sheets: Syntax, Examples and Compatibility

Use COMBIN when you need the number of different groups of k distinct items chosen from n distinct items, and choosing the same members in a different order does not create another group. Choosing two reviewers from eight employees creates 28 possible two-person teams, not 56. Enter =COMBIN(8;2) in a Calligra Sheets cell; 28 is the independently calculated expected result, not an output observed in the application. [E1, E3]

If the positions matter—captain and deputy, first and second—you want PERMUT in KDE’s function handbook, not COMBIN. If you can choose a type more than once, compare COMBINA in the KDE handbook; that is a different counting problem.

=COMBIN(total;chosen)

Both arguments are required; the version-pinned Calligra 26.08.2 registry sets its parameter count to exactly two. The official statistical.xml declares both arguments as Int, in this order: total (number of distinct items available) and chosen (number selected). There are no optional parameters or defaults. Its documented result type is a whole number. [E1, E2]

For ordinary examples, use non-negative whole-number values with 0 <= chosen <= total. The handbook uses the word “positive” but also documents COMBIN(5;5)=1; the source explicitly checks whether chosen is below zero or above total and returns a numerical error for those cases. It does not explicitly reject a negative total in that wrapper: do not infer permissive handling of negative totals from an omitted check. Fractional and text coercion have not been native-tested, so avoid them. [E1, E2]

The English-language KDE handbook separates function arguments with semicolons, such as COMBIN(12;5). Enter = at the start of a real cell formula. Localized installations can use different decimal separators and function-entry conventions; confirm in the actual Formula/Function dialog if pasted punctuation is rejected. Formula names here use the English documentation names. [E1]

Source/edition scope: KDE’s official Calligra release listing identifies 26.08.2, released 2026-10-08. The registration and underlying C++ code were checked at pinned commit 72123cc643f6625351139e7df294544255a1056f on 2026-10-12. This documents shipped source, not all operating-system packages or actual observed execution. No native Calligra instance was run.

A group of k distinct items from n distinct items can be chosen in:

C(n,k) = n! / (k! × (n-k)!)

For eight staff members and two open team places, the formula is 8×7/(2×1)=28. The division by 2! removes duplicate orderings: Alice–Ben and Ben–Alice represent the same team. This is the combinatorial mathematical definition used for the independent checks; the version-pinned source delegates to ValueCalc::combin. [E2, E3]

In a new sheet, enter the headings and the exact numbers below. In C2, enter =COMBIN(A2;B2) and fill to C5.

How to read the sheet: A2=8 and B2=2 means two equal-status people, not “first chair and second chair.” Row 5 contains exactly one possible committee because choosing all five members leaves no alternatives. These values were independently calculated with exact integer combinatorics; not observed in Calligra. [E3]

One formula, two very different questions

Using A2=8, B2=3, =COMBIN(A2;B2) is expected to give 56 possible three-person groups. If those positions are gold, silver, bronze, =PERMUT(A2;B2) is expected to give 336 ordered results (56 groups × 3! orderings). The two numbers answer different questions; switching the function without changing the interpretation is a business-logic error. [E3]

Suppose you have 12 unique invoices and want to know how many distinct five-invoice samples exist without replacement. Enter 12 in E2, 5 in F2, and =COMBIN(E2;F2) in G2. The expected result is 792 different samples. This is useful for communicating the size of the sample space before you select a sample; it does not randomly select five invoices and it does not calculate the probability that any given sample detects an error.

To count equally likely samples meeting additional criteria you must count the favourable outcomes separately, then divide by the total count if the assumptions support that probability model. Do not confuse “number of ways” with a probability. [E3]

• chosen > total, for example =COMBIN(5;6): the examined C++ wrapper returns errorNUM(). Treat a rendered #NUM! as a source-indicated error, not a native-observed screen result. [E2]
• chosen < 0: the wrapper also returns errorNUM(). Avoid negative chosen counts. [E2]
• Negative total, text or fractional values: declared integer arguments and source conversion details are not enough to promise a particular error or truncation result in every build. Validate in a running installation before documenting such input behavior as settled. [E2]
• Comma rather than semicolon: KDE’s English handbook uses ;; some imported Excel formulas use commas. Check application locale, rather than silently replacing decimal separators. [E1, E4]
• Unexpectedly big number: factorial-based counts grow rapidly. Display precision, integer limits and overflow behaviour depend on implementation and were not exhaustively tested. Avoid treating a formatted/scientific-notation display as exact for very large n.
• Missing parentheses or =: check formula-entry syntax, that both required arguments are present, and that cell references point to numbers rather than labels.

Microsoft’s Excel COMBIN reference documents the same mathematical counting rule and COMBIN(number,number_chosen) in its English syntax. But Excel explicitly truncates numeric fractional inputs, whereas this review has not verified Calligra’s runtime conversions for such inputs. Excel documents #NUM! for invalid ranges; the pinned Calligra wrapper returns a numerical error for negative chosen or chosen > total. Different locale separators, numeric coercion, and error display can make an imported formula behave differently. [E2, E4]

When order matters, use PERMUT; when repetition is allowed but order does not matter, use COMBINA; for ordered selections with repetition, use PERMUTATIONA. These three names are distinct registered Calligra functions, not aliases. Official reference: KDE’s complete Sheets functions handbook. The link was accessible on 2026-10-12.

[E1] KDE Sheets handbook — COMBIN, accessed 2026-10-12: definition, syntax, parameter type/order, and 12-choose-5 example. [E2] Pinned Calligra statistical.cpp registration and implementation and pinned statistical.xml, inspected 2026-10-12. [E3] Exact, independently calculated integer arithmetic; the reproducible inputs and expected results are shown above. [E4] Microsoft Excel COMBIN official reference, checked 2026-10-12. Validation: Documentation and version-pinned source reviewed; examples independently calculated. Native Calligra execution was not performed.