6 Choose 5

Combination Calculator
Total items (n)
Items chosen (k)

What is 6 choose 5?

Answer

6 choose 5 is
6

Order doesn't matter, no repeats: 6 ways to choose 5 of 6 items.

Choosing 5 of 6 is the same as leaving 1 out: C(6, 5) = C(6, 1).

C(6, 5) = 6! / (5! · 1!)

= C(6, 1)

= 6 / 1

= 6

If order matters (permutations): P(6, 5) = 6 × 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 = 720 — each combination in 5! = 120 orders.

Row 6 of Pascal's triangle
k6 choose k
01
16
215
320
415
56
61

Row sum: 26 = 64 — all subsets of 6 items.

See Also

FAQ

What is 6 choose 5?

6 choose 5 is 6

Why is 6 choose 5 the same as 6 choose 1?

Every way to choose 5 of 6 items leaves exactly 1 behind, so choosing 5 and choosing which one to leave out are the same count: 6 choose 5 = 6 choose 1 = 6. In the formula n! / (k! (n − k)!) the two factorials below just swap places.

How many ways are there if order matters?

P(6, 5) = 720. Each of the 6 combinations can be put in order in 5! = 120 ways, so permutations = combinations × k!: P(n, k) = n! / (n − k)!.