English Phrases To Describe Graphs And Charts
Say trends, comparisons, and numbers clearly—without sounding robotic.
When you describe a graph in English, your job is simple: say what changes, how big the change is, and when it happens. The best descriptions are short, organized, and packed with the right verbs.
This guide gives you the exact phrases Americans use in presentations, reports, and tests. If you want another explanation style too, this article is also helpful: How to describe graphs in English.
Yak Box: The 3-Sentence Winning Formula
- Sentence 1 (Big picture): What’s the overall trend?
- Sentence 2 (Details): When does it rise/fall/level off?
- Sentence 3 (Compare): How does one line/group compare to another?
Mini model: “Overall, sales increased over the year. They rose sharply in Q2 and then leveled off in Q3. By December, online sales were higher than in-store sales.”
Know The Parts Of A Chart
Axis (X-Axis / Y-Axis)
Meaning: The lines that show categories (X) and numbers (Y).
Example: “The x-axis shows months, and the y-axis shows revenue in dollars.”
Legend / Key
Meaning: The box that explains colors/lines/bars.
Example: “According to the legend, the blue line represents 2025.”
Data Point
Meaning: One value on the chart.
Example: “This data point shows a peak at 80%.”
Visual Cards: High-Utility Trend Words
Increase
Meaning: Go up.
Example: “Profits increased from $2M to $3M.”
Decrease
Meaning: Go down.
Example: “Unemployment decreased by 1.2 percentage points.”
Rise Sharply
Meaning: Go up fast.
Example: “Sign-ups rose sharply after the new ad campaign.”
Drop Slightly
Meaning: Go down a little.
Example: “Customer satisfaction dropped slightly in April.”
Peak
Meaning: Reach the highest point.
Example: “Sales peaked at 12,000 units in July.”
Level Off
Meaning: Stop changing and stay steady.
Example: “After May, the numbers leveled off around 40%.”
Fluctuate
Meaning: Go up and down repeatedly.
Example: “Oil prices fluctuated throughout the quarter.”
Remain Stable
Meaning: Stay the same.
Example: “Costs remained stable at about $500 per month.”
Useful Phrases And Real-Life Sentences
- Overall, … (big picture) — “Overall, the trend is upward.”
- Over the period, … — “Over the period, prices increased steadily.”
- From A to B, … — “From 2019 to 2024, demand doubled.”
- In the first half, … — “In the first half, the numbers climbed quickly.”
- In contrast, … — “In contrast, the second group stayed flat.”
- Meanwhile, … — “Meanwhile, costs increased only slightly.”
- By the end of the period, … — “By the end of the period, revenue hit a new high.”
- The largest change occurred in … — “The largest change occurred in June.”
- … accounts for … — “Online orders account for 60% of total sales.”
- … makes up … — “Rent makes up the biggest share of expenses.”
- … is higher/lower than … — “Line A is higher than Line B after March.”
- … is roughly the same as … — “In 2025, both regions are roughly the same.”
- … overtakes … — “In Q4, Product B overtakes Product A.”
- … reaches a low point — “Traffic reaches a low point at 6 a.m.”
- … rebounds — “After a drop in May, sales rebound in June.”
Speak Numbers Correctly (Without Confusing “By” And “To”)
Increase By = The Amount Of Change
Meaning: “By” tells you how much it changed.
Example: “Subscriptions increased by 20%.”
Extra: “They increased by 20% in one month.”
Increase To = The Final Number
Meaning: “To” tells you where it ended.
Example: “Subscriptions increased to 80,000.”
Combo: “They increased by 20% to 80,000.”
Percent Vs Percentage Points
Percent talks about a relative change.
“The rate increased by 10% (from 50 to 55 is +10%).”Percentage points talks about the difference between two percentages.
“The rate increased by 5 percentage points (from 50% to 55%).”
Quick Pattern Tables You Can Copy
Trend Patterns
| Pattern | Meaning | Example 1 | Example 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| … increased from A to B | Start and end numbers | “Costs increased from $200 to $260.” | “The score increased from 60 to 75.” |
| … rose by X | Change amount | “Traffic rose by 15%.” | “Prices rose by $3.” |
| … peaked at X | Highest point | “It peaked at 92%.” | “It peaked at 40,000 users.” |
| … leveled off at X | Stopped changing | “It leveled off at around 30%.” | “It leveled off at $1.2M.” |
| … fluctuated between A and B | Up and down range | “It fluctuated between 10 and 18.” | “It fluctuated between 3% and 6%.” |
Comparison Patterns
| Vocabulary | Meaning | Example 1 | Example 2 | Example 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| higher than | bigger number | “A is higher than B in June.” | “Online is higher than retail.” | “This year is higher than last year.” |
| lower than | smaller number | “Group 2 is lower than Group 1.” | “Costs are lower than expected.” | “Q1 is lower than Q4.” |
| similar to | almost the same | “May is similar to April.” | “Both lines are similar overall.” | “Their growth is similar.” |
| the highest / the lowest | top/bottom rank | “Japan has the highest figure.” | “June is the lowest point.” | “This category is the highest.” |
| gap | difference between two values | “The gap widens after July.” | “The gap is about 5 points.” | “The gap narrows in Q4.” |
Number And Time Helpers
| Vocabulary | Meaning | Example 1 | Example 2 | Example 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| approximately / about / around | not exact | “It’s about 2.5 million.” | “Around 40% chose option A.” | “Approximately 1 in 3 users…” |
| just over / just under | slightly more/less | “Just over 50% agreed.” | “Just under $1,000.” | “Just over 10,000 visits.” |
| over the next … | future time span | “Over the next two months, it rises.” | “Over the next decade…” | “Over the next few weeks…” |
| during | within a time period | “During Q2, sales surged.” | “During the summer…” | “During the last week…” |
| by | deadline time | “By 2025, it reaches 60%.” | “By the end of June…” | “By Friday, it drops.” |
Common Mistakes And Fast Fixes
- Mistake: “The number increased to 10%.” (You mean the change amount.)
Fix: “The number increased by 10%.” - Mistake: “From 2020 until 2021, it rises.” (Sounds a bit off in chart language.)
Fix: “From 2020 to 2021, it rose.” - Mistake: Using only “go up/go down” in formal writing.
Fix: Mix in “increase/decrease,” “rise/fall,” “climb/drop.” - Mistake: Confusing percent with percentage points.
Fix: “From 40% to 45% is up 5 percentage points.” - Mistake: Too many numbers with no story.
Fix: Add structure: overall → key changes → comparison.
Practice: Say It Like A Real Human
Task A (Fill The Blank): Choose the best phrase.
- In May, website traffic _______ at 120,000 visits. (peaked / fluctuated)
- From January to March, costs increased _______ $200. (by / to)
- After July, the growth rate _______ around 3%. (leveled off / surged)
- Overall, Line A is _______ than Line B. (higher / lower)
- In Q2, sales rose _______. (sharply / stable)
Task B (One-Sentence Summary): Write one sentence using overall + one trend verb.
Prompt: “The chart shows customer complaints from 2022 to 2025. They are high in 2022, drop in 2023, then rise a little in 2024 and 2025.”
Show Suggested Answers
- peaked
- by
- leveled off
- higher
- sharply
Task B idea: “Overall, complaints decreased in 2023 and then increased slightly through 2025.”
Quick Reference Summary
- Overall trend: “Overall, … increased/decreased/remained stable.”
- Speed: sharply / steadily / gradually / slightly
- High/low: peaked at … / reached a low of …
- Stability: leveled off / plateaued / remained stable
- Compare: higher/lower than / similar to / overtakes
- Numbers: by (change amount) vs to (final value)
Final Yak
If you ever freeze while describing a chart, use the cheat code: overall → key changes → compare. Three sentences. Clean. Confident. Very adult.
