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CHISQ.DIST Function (LibreOffice Calc)

Statistical Intermediate LibreOffice Calc LibreOffice 4.2

CHISQ.DIST returns a chi-square left-tail probability or density in LibreOffice Calc. Learn its required selector, input limits, interval probabilities and relationship to right-tail functions.

Verification status: Consult the documentation, examples and any stated test scope below. How formula examples are checked

Availability and version history

  • Introduced: LibreOffice 4.2.
  • Availability: Supported in LibreOffice 26.8.1.1, verified against its function registry. This identifies a supported release, not a final working version.
  • Scope: Desktop Calc, using the English function name. Availability in other spreadsheet applications is separate.
  • Checked: 2026-10-14 — function reference; versioned support. Documentation/source check; not a new native test. Existing example-specific test claims below retain their stated scope.
The **CHISQ.DIST** function returns a **left-tail cumulative probability** when its third argument is TRUE, or a **probability density** when it is FALSE. CHIDIST instead uses a right-tail convention; the two names are not interchangeable without changing the probability interpretation.

What the CHISQ.DIST Function Does

  • Computes P(X ≤ x) for a chi-square distribution
  • Used in statistical modeling and hypothesis testing
  • A separate left-tail/density entry, distinct from right-tail CHIDIST
  • Supports both PDF and CDF modes

Syntax

CHISQ.DIST(x; degrees_freedom; cumulative)

Arguments

  • x:
    The chi-square statistic (must be ≥ 0).

  • degrees_freedom:
    Positive integer degrees of freedom. The cited implementation floors fractional inputs, then requires 1 through 10,000,000,000 inclusive.

  • cumulative:
    TRUE → returns the cumulative distribution function (CDF)
    FALSE → returns the probability density function (PDF)

All three arguments are required. Unlike CHISQDIST, this dotted function does not provide a two-argument cumulative form. Official syntax and release evaluator.

Basic Examples

Left‑tail probability (CDF)

=CHISQ.DIST(10; 5; TRUE)
→ approximately 0.924764753853

Probability density (PDF)

=CHISQ.DIST(10; 5; FALSE)
→ approximately 0.028334555342

Using cell references

=CHISQ.DIST(A1; B1; TRUE)

Compare with right‑tail

=1 - CHISQ.DIST(x; df; TRUE)

Advanced Examples

Inspect a statistic’s left-tail probability

=CHISQ.DIST(TestStatistic; df; TRUE)

For the usual chi-square goodness-of-fit p-value, use the right tail instead, with degrees of freedom justified by the fitted model. A left-tail CDF is not automatically the test p-value.

Convert to right‑tail probability

=CHISQ.DIST.RT(x; df)

Probability inside an interval

=CHISQ.DIST(upper; df; TRUE) - CHISQ.DIST(lower; df; TRUE)

This is the probability between ordered bounds, not the combined probability in two outside tails. With lower=2, upper=10 and df=5, the interval probability is approximately 0.773909789938. Its complement represents the two outside regions.

Validate with CHISQ.INV

=CHISQ.INV(CHISQ.DIST(x; df; TRUE); df)

Generate a modeled chi-square value

=CHISQ.INV(RAND(); df)

Inverse-transform sampling uses a uniform probability as the inverse input. Applying CHISQ.DIST to RAND()*20 only evaluates a CDF at a uniformly chosen x; it does not generate chi-square-distributed x values.

Edge Cases and Behavior Details

CHISQ.DIST returns:

  • A probability (0–1) when cumulative = TRUE
  • A density value when cumulative = FALSE

Accepts:

  • x ≥ 0
  • Integer degrees_freedom from 1 through 10,000,000,000; fractional inputs are floored

Behavior details

  • Left‑tail only
  • Not symmetric
  • Uses gamma‑function internally
  • CHIDIST has a different right-tail meaning

Invalid numeric arguments → Err:502

The density helper returns 0 at x=0. That source-defined endpoint convention is distinct from the mathematical right-hand limit, which is 0.5 for df=2 and divergent for df=1. Pinned density helper.

CHISQ.DIST of an error → error propagates

Common Errors and Fixes

Err:502 — Invalid argument

Cause:

  • x < 0
  • degrees_freedom below 1 after flooring, or above 10,000,000,000

Fix:

  • Validate x ≥ 0
  • Supply an integer df inside the supported range
  • Validate imported text separately instead of assuming every coercion gives the same error code

Unexpected results

Cause:

  • Confusing PDF vs CDF

Fix:

  • TRUE → cumulative probability
  • FALSE → density

Best Practices

  • Use CHISQ.DIST for left‑tail probabilities
  • Use CHISQ.DIST.RT for right‑tail
  • Use CHISQ.TEST for full hypothesis testing
  • Validate degrees of freedom carefully
  • Use CHISQ.INV for critical values
Choose the function by the required tail and output type. The official Help identifies CHISQ.DIST as the COM.MICROSOFT.CHISQ.DIST extension, outside the OpenFormula 1.3 function set; that does not mean the documented legacy names have been retired.
  • CHISQ.DIST.RT — right‑tail chi-square
  • CHISQ.INV — left‑tail inverse
  • CHISQ.INV.RT — right‑tail inverse
  • CHISQ.TEST — full chi-square test
  • GAMMA / GAMMALN — underlying math

By mastering CHISQ.DIST, you can build accurate, modern statistical models and hypothesis tests in LibreOffice Calc.

Sources and scope of these examples

Official CHISQ.DIST Help and LibreOffice 26.8.1.1 evaluator. Numeric examples were independently calculated. They are not new native-application test results and do not certify every locale or extreme input.