Ordinal Encoding vs One Hot Encoding

Developers should use ordinal encoding when working with categorical features that have a clear ranking, such as education levels (e meets developers should learn one hot encoding when working with machine learning datasets that include categorical features like colors, countries, or product types, as most algorithms cannot process raw text labels directly. Here's our take.

Ordinal Encoding

Nice Pick

Developers should use ordinal encoding when working with categorical features that have a clear ranking, such as education levels (e

Pros

• g
• Related to: categorical-encoding, feature-engineering

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

One Hot Encoding

Developers should learn One Hot Encoding when working with machine learning datasets that include categorical features like colors, countries, or product types, as most algorithms cannot process raw text labels directly

Pros

• It is essential for tasks like classification, regression, and deep learning to avoid misleading ordinal relationships, ensuring each category is treated as a distinct entity without implying any order or hierarchy
• Related to: data-preprocessing, feature-engineering

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

Use Ordinal Encoding if: You want g and can live with specific tradeoffs depend on your use case.

Use One Hot Encoding if: You prioritize it is essential for tasks like classification, regression, and deep learning to avoid misleading ordinal relationships, ensuring each category is treated as a distinct entity without implying any order or hierarchy over what Ordinal Encoding offers.

The Bottom Line

Ordinal Encoding wins

Developers should use ordinal encoding when working with categorical features that have a clear ranking, such as education levels (e