English Vocabulary for Data Analysts

Describing Statistical Results

When reporting results in English, precision matters. Use these phrases to communicate findings accurately.

• Significance: 'The difference was statistically significant (p = .03)' / 'No significant effect was observed'
• Correlation: 'A strong positive correlation was found between X and Y (r = 0.82)'
• Regression: 'X was a significant predictor of Y (β = 0.45, p < .001)'
• Descriptive: 'The mean score was 4.2 (SD = 0.8)' / 'The median response time was 342 ms'

Describing Charts and Visualisations

When presenting charts to stakeholders in English, use precise chart language.

• Trend lines: 'The trend line indicates a gradual increase over the period'
• Outliers: 'Three data points are notable outliers that warrant further investigation'
• Distribution: 'The data is approximately normally distributed with a slight right skew'
• Comparison: 'Group A outperformed Group B by approximately 23%'

Example: As shown in Figure 3, conversion rates increased sharply in Q2 before plateauing in Q3, suggesting the campaign's initial impact diminished after the first 30 days.

Stakeholder Communication Vocabulary

Non-technical stakeholders need plain English, not statistical jargon.

• Instead of 'p-value < 0.05': 'This result is statistically reliable — unlikely to be random'
• Instead of 'R-squared = 0.73': 'This model explains 73% of the variation in the outcome'
• Instead of 'outlier': 'This data point behaves very differently from the rest'
• Instead of 'confidence interval': 'We are 95% confident the true value falls between X and Y'