Excel FORECAST.LINEAR function
Estimates a future value with a straight line fitted to historical data. In Spanish Excel it is called PRONOSTICO.LINEAL.
Syntax
English Excel
=FORECAST.LINEAR(x, known_ys, known_xs)
Spanish Excel (Mexico)
=PRONOSTICO.LINEAL(x, conocido_y, conocido_x)
Spanish Excel (Spain, Latin America)
=PRONOSTICO.LINEAL(x; conocido_y; conocido_x)
| Argument | What it is |
|---|---|
| x | The new value you want the estimate for. |
| known_ys | The historical results (for example, sales). |
| known_xs | The historical values that explain them (for example, advertising or month). |
Example
CORREL measures from -1 to 1 how closely two columns move together; near 1 is a strong relationship. FORECAST.LINEAR(x, known_ys, known_xs) draws the best-fitting line and estimates the y of a new x. TREND gives that line’s values for each row.
=FORECAST.LINEAR(G2,C2:C9,B2:B9)
Common mistake
FORECAST is the older name. The order matters: first the new x, then the ys and last the xs.
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Practice FORECAST.LINEAR
Type the formula in the sheet and check it instantly. Spanish or English function names both work. See all lessons
Correlation and forecasting
CORREL measures from -1 to 1 how closely two columns move together; near 1 is a strong relationship. FORECAST.LINEAR(x, known_ys, known_xs) draws the best-fitting line and estimates the y of a new x. TREND gives that line’s values for each row.
=FORECAST.LINEAR(G2,C2:C9,B2:B9)COEF.DE.CORREL = CORRELPRONOSTICO.LINEAL = FORECAST.LINEARPRONOSTICO = FORECASTTENDENCIA = TRENDIn G1, measure the correlation between advertising and sales.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Month | Advertising | Sales | Trend | Correlation | |||
| 2 | Jan | 20,000.00 | 64,000.00 | Planned advertising | 60,000.00 | |||
| 3 | Feb | 25,000.00 | 79,500.00 | Estimated sales | ||||
| 4 | Mar | 22,000.00 | 70,100.00 | |||||
| 5 | Apr | 30,000.00 | 95,800.00 | |||||
| 6 | May | 35,000.00 | 108,400.00 | |||||
| 7 | Jun | 28,000.00 | 90,200.00 | |||||
| 8 | Jul | 40,000.00 | 126,000.00 | |||||
| 9 | Aug | 45,000.00 | 139,500.00 | |||||
| 10 |
Tip: while typing, click a cell or drag across several to insert their reference. F4 anchors the reference with $.
Frequently asked questions
- What is FORECAST.LINEAR called in Spanish?
- In Spanish Excel it is PRONOSTICO.LINEAL. The formula =FORECAST.LINEAR(G2,C2:C9,B2:B9) is written =PRONOSTICO.LINEAL(G2;C2:C9;B2:B9) (or with commas in Mexico).
- Why does FORECAST.LINEAR use semicolons in some Excel versions?
- It depends on regional settings. Where the comma is the decimal mark (Spain, much of South America), Excel separates arguments with semicolons. English Excel and Mexican Spanish Excel use commas.
- What is the most common FORECAST.LINEAR mistake?
- FORECAST is the older name. The order matters: first the new x, then the ys and last the xs.