# Category

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

**Definition.** A category is a named group a mark belongs to, such as a plan or a region. Categories have no order of their own, so you choose one: by value, by name or by meaning.

Updated Nov 2, 2026

## 002 · Grouped bars

- **01 The categories.** Each plan is one category, with one colour.
- **02 The legend.** Names every category and its colour.

## Where you see it

- [001 · Bars](https://usechartory.com/charts/bars): Compare items · Fintech data
- [002 · Grouped bars](https://usechartory.com/charts/grouped-bars): Compare items · SaaS data
- [007 · Horizontal bars](https://usechartory.com/charts/horizontal-bars): Compare items · Logistics data

## Common mistakes

- **Too many categories** Past six or seven, colours repeat and the legend gets long. Group the small ones into Other.
- **Categories sorted by chance** Sort them by value or by a meaningful order, so the chart reads at once.

## Questions

### How many categories can one chart hold?

Up to about six with colour. More fit as rows, as in horizontal bars.

### Is a category the same as a series?

A series is the set of values for one category, drawn together.

## Related terms

- [Series](https://usechartory.com/glossary/series): One set of values drawn together, such as one line or one colour of bars.
- [Legend](https://usechartory.com/glossary/legend): The key that names each colour or mark.
- [Encoding](https://usechartory.com/glossary/encoding): The visual property that carries a value: length, position, angle, area or colour.
- [Ranking](https://usechartory.com/glossary/ranking): Order by value; a bump chart follows how the order changes.

## Bars, grouped bars, horizontal bars and the other types.

In Figma and React, in four sizes, light and dark. Pay once, every update. [See plans](https://usechartory.com/pricing)

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