What is the difference between ordinal and categorical variables

Ordinal variables are a type of categorical variable that have a natural ordering or hierarchy. The categories or levels of an ordinal variable have a specific order or sequence, and the variable is measured or ranked accordingly. For example, a Likert scale with responses like "strongly agree," "agree," "neutral," "disagree," and "strongly disagree" is an ordinal variable because the responses have an inherent order.

On the other hand, categorical variables, also known as nominal variables, have categories or levels without any intrinsic order or ranking. The categories are distinct and separate from each other, but there is no inherent order or hierarchy between them. Examples of categorical variables include gender (male, female), eye color (blue, brown, green), or type of fruit (apple, orange, banana).

In summary, while all ordinal variables are categorical variables, not all categorical variables are ordinal. The difference lies in whether the categories have a specific order or not.