# HUNCHSCORE: a position on your own scale

`=HUNCHSCORE(A2, "How urgent is this request?", "not urgent|this week|today|right now")` returns a position on your levels, from 0 for the first level to 3 for the last. In Excel it is `=HUNCH.SCORE`. Add `"label"` to get the level name instead.

Updated 28 September 2026. Source: https://hunchsheet.app/docs/hunchscore

## Syntax

```
Google Sheets: =HUNCHSCORE(text, question, levels, [as])
Excel:         =HUNCH.SCORE(text, question, levels, [as])
```

| Argument | Required | What it is |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `text` | Yes | A cell or one-column range with the text to rate. |
| `question` | Yes | What to rate, with the definition: `"ICP fit: B2B software company, 20 to 500 staff, sells to support teams"`. |
| `levels` | Yes | 2 to 10 levels from low to high, separated by `\|`. Level 0 is the first. A level can carry a description after a colon: `"weak: matches one criterion"`. |
| `as` | No | `"score"` (default) returns the weighted position, a decimal from 0 to n−1. `"label"` returns the most likely level's name. `"index"` returns its number. |

## Examples with real outputs

```
=HUNCHSCORE(A2:A7, "How urgent is this request for the support team?", "not urgent|this week|today|right now")
```
In Excel: `=HUNCH.SCORE(A2:A7, "How urgent is this request for the support team?", "not urgent|this week|today|right now")`

```
=HUNCHSCORE(A2:A7, "How urgent is this request for the support team?", "not urgent|this week|today|right now", "label")
```
In Excel: `=HUNCH.SCORE(A2:A7, "How urgent is this request for the support team?", "not urgent|this week|today|right now", "label")`

| Request | Urgency (0–3) | Level |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Checkout is down for all customers since 9:05. | 2.99 | right now |
| Payroll export must reach the bank by 3 pm today and it errors. | 2.91 | right now |
| The logo on the invoice PDF looks blurry. | 0.12 | not urgent |
| Two users cannot see the new report, the rest can. | 1.30 | this week |
| Any plans to support Dutch in the interface? | 0.01 | not urgent |
| Webhook retries are delayed by about an hour. | 1.07 | this week |

The outage scores 2.99 and the payroll export 2.91, both `right now`. The payroll case has a same-day deadline, so a team could file it under `today`. If yours draws the line there, say so in the level: `today: has a deadline later today`. The two partial problems sit a little above `this week`, and the feature question scores 0.01.

## Score, label or index

The default score weighs every level by its probability, so 2.4 means "mostly today, some chance of right now". That makes it the better column to sort on: two rows labeled "today" still come out in order. Use `"label"` when people need to read the column, and `"index"` when another formula expects a whole number.

```
=SORT(A2:B500, 2, FALSE)
```

## Writing good levels

- Order matters: first is lowest, last is highest. The score is a position, so reversed levels reverse your ranking.
- Describe each level as a concrete situation ("today: blocks work or has a same-day deadline") instead of a word like "medium".
- Four or five levels is usually enough. More levels do not make the judgment finer if you cannot say what separates them.
- Rate one dimension per formula. For fit and urgency, use two columns and combine them with normal arithmetic, for example `=B2*0.7+C2*0.3`.

## Cost and limits

- One credit per answered row. Score, label and index come from the same answer, so a second column with the same question and levels reads the cache and costs nothing for six hours.
- Blank cells and repeated texts are free. Answers are cached for six hours.
- The model rates meaning in text. Keep numeric rules, such as "over 500 employees", in normal formulas on numeric columns.

## Questions

### Is a 2 on a four-level scale the same as 50 percent?

No. It is a position between your levels. 2.0 means the answer sits on the third level, "today" in the example. Read the scale as your labels, not as a percentage.

### When should I use HUNCHSCORE instead of HUNCH?

Use [HUNCH](https://hunchsheet.app/docs/hunch) for a yes/no condition, such as whether it's a refund request. Use HUNCHSCORE for a degree, such as how urgent, how positive or how good a fit.

### Can I use it for sentiment?

Yes, with levels like "very negative|negative|neutral|positive|very positive". The [sentiment guide](https://hunchsheet.app/formulas/sentiment-analysis-google-sheets) shows real outputs.