TitleA short explanation of what is in the graph. It usually sits above the graph.
Y-axisIt is the vertical axis. It usually carries the numbers for the amount being measured.
X-axisIt is the horizontal axis. It usually shows times, or the names of the things being compared.
OriginBoth axes start from here. On a coordinate grid its ordered pair is (0, 0).
Data pointA line graph shows its information as a series of data points. Straight lines join the points.
LineThe line segments join the data points in order. That makes a rise or a fall easy to see.
On the bar graph 4
BarsA bar graph shows each value as a rectangular bar. Its height matches the value.
Legend (key)A graph with more than one set of data has one. It is also called a key. It works like the legend on a map.
Axis labelEach axis has a label, often with the unit in parentheses. This graph has one along the bottom and one up the side.
ScaleEach axis has a scale. On a bar graph the y-axis usually starts counting at 0 and goes up in equal steps.
How this list was compiled: Every name and detail checked on 2026-09-30 against the National Center for Education Statistics Kids’ Zone, Create a Graph tutorial, Building Bar Graphs and Learning Line Graphs (title, x-axis, y-axis, data, legend), https://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/help/user_guide/graph/bar.asp and https://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/help/user_guide/graph/line.asp; against OpenStax Contemporary Mathematics, section 8.2 Visualizing Data (origin, scale, labeling the axes, bars), https://openstax.org/books/contemporary-mathematics/pages/8-2-visualizing-data; and against Wikipedia, Chart (title, axes, scale, axis label, legend or key), Line chart (data points joined by line segments), Bar chart and Cartesian coordinate system (origin), text only. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30; nothing traced. Licence: own work
How it works
What are the parts of a graph? This page shows them on two graphs of made-up data. The line graph has the title, the two axes, the origin, the data points and the line. The bar graph adds bars, a legend, labels and a scale.
Read the full guide
Label the graph
Numbers 1 to 6 are on the line graph. The title says what the graph shows. The x-axis runs across and the y-axis runs up, and they meet at the origin. Each dot is a data point, and the line joins them.
Then the bar graph
Numbers 7 to 10 are on the bar graph: the bars, the legend that tells the two sets of bars apart, an axis label and the scale of numbers up the side. For a label parts of a graph worksheet, print the page blank.
Read a graph in this order: title, axis labels, scale, then the data.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a graph?
A title, an x-axis and a y-axis, a label and a scale on each axis, and the data, drawn as points, a line or bars. A graph with more than one set of data also has a legend, also called a key.
What is the difference between the x-axis and the y-axis?
The x-axis is the horizontal line along the bottom and the y-axis is the vertical line up the side. They meet at the origin. On most graphs the y-axis carries the numbers for the amount being measured.
What is the legend on a graph?
The legend, or key, tells what each line or set of bars stands for, the way a legend does on a map. A graph needs one when it shows more than one set of data.
What is the scale of a graph?
The scale is the run of evenly spaced marks along an axis, usually with numbers beside them. On a bar graph the y-axis usually starts counting at 0.