---
title: Spearman correlation coefficient
description: "This is the most commonly used **non-parametric** **correlation** coefficient in our field. It is simply the **Pearson correlation** coefficient between the **ranks** of the scores on the two variables. Spearman coefficients are often given the Greek letter rho where Pearson…"
url: "https://www.psyctc.org/psyctc/glossary2/spearman-correlation-coefficient/"
updated: "2023-11-27"
category: All OM book glossary entries
---

# Spearman correlation coefficient

This is the most commonly used **non-parametric** **correlation** coefficient in our field. It is simply the **Pearson correlation** coefficient between the **ranks** of the scores on the two variables.

Spearman coefficients are often given the Greek letter rho where Pearson correlation coefficients are usually denoted by R.

#### Details

The above about the Spearman correlation being a Pearson correlation of ranks is true when there are no **ties** among the scores on either variable, things are a bit more complicated when, as there often are for OM data, **ties** in the data. However, this is getting a bit beyond the level we need outside rather academically pedantic research publications!

#### Try also ...

[Correlation](https://www.psyctc.org/psyctc/glossary2/correlation/)
Pearson correlation coefficient
[Kendall correlation coefficient](https://www.psyctc.org/psyctc/glossary2/kendall-correlation-coefficient/)
[Ranking](https://www.psyctc.org/psyctc/glossary2/ranking/)
Ties

#### Chapters

Not specifically mentioned in any of the chapters.

#### Online applications

I have (at last) created a shiny app you can use to find the confidence interval around any Spearman correlation coefficient given the *n*.
At some point I hope to add another shiny app into which you can upload data and get the scattergram for the data and correlation coefficients with the confidence interval around that observed value.

#### Dates

Tweaked to add link to shiny app 27.xi.23.