# Bubble

> A chart word, with the charts that use it.

**Definition.** A bubble is a circle whose area carries a value. Bubbles show rough size well, but exact differences are hard to read, so they suit a quick view of many items.

Updated Nov 2, 2026

## 035 · Packed bubbles

- **01 Bubble size.** The bubble's area is its value.
- **02 Bubble colour.** A second signal, such as up or down.

## Where you see it

- [035 · Packed bubbles](https://usechartory.com/charts/packed-bubbles): Part of a whole · Crypto data

## Common mistakes

- **Sizing by diameter** Doubling the width quadruples the area and overstates the value. Size by area.
- **Bubbles for close values** Similar sizes are hard to tell apart. Use bars when the gaps matter.

## Questions

### Why size bubbles by area?

People read the area, so an area that doubles reads as a value that doubles.

### How many bubbles fit?

Dozens, as long as the big ones carry labels and the small ones can stay unlabelled.

## Related terms

- [Encoding](https://usechartory.com/glossary/encoding): The visual property that carries a value: length, position, angle, area or colour.
- [Mark](https://usechartory.com/glossary/mark): One drawn shape that stands for one data point: a bar, a dot or a slice.
- [Category](https://usechartory.com/glossary/category): A named group a mark belongs to, such as a plan or a region.

## Packed bubbles and the other types.

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Every chart word, A to Z. [Open the glossary](https://usechartory.com/glossary)