The LIMIT Clause

What is LIMIT?

LIMIT restricts how many rows a query returns. Without it, a SELECT statement returns every matching row in the table — which could be millions of rows on a large dataset. LIMIT lets you cap that number.

SELECT column1, column2
FROM table_name
LIMIT 10;

This returns at most 10 rows, no matter how many rows are in the table.

Common uses

Previewing a table — when you first explore an unfamiliar table, LIMIT 5 or LIMIT 10 gives you a quick sample without pulling the entire dataset.

-- Just peek at the first 5 rows
SELECT *
FROM coffee_shop_sales
LIMIT 5;

Finding the top N results — combine ORDER BY with LIMIT to get the highest or lowest values in a column.

-- The 3 most expensive rentals
SELECT car_model, daily_rate_usd
FROM car_rental_records
ORDER BY daily_rate_usd DESC
LIMIT 3;

LIMIT with WHERE and ORDER BY

All three clauses work together. WHERE filters the rows first, ORDER BY sorts them, and LIMIT keeps only the top N from the sorted result.

-- Top 5 most expensive rooms costing over $120/night
SELECT guest_name, room_type, price_per_night
FROM hotel_room_bookings
WHERE price_per_night > 120
ORDER BY price_per_night DESC
LIMIT 5;

Common mistakes

Putting LIMIT before ORDER BY — this causes a syntax error. LIMIT must always be the last clause in the query.

Expecting a specific set of rows without ORDER BY — without ORDER BY, the database can return any N rows in any order. If you want the "top" results, always pair LIMIT with ORDER BY.

Using LIMIT to count rows — LIMIT only controls how many rows are returned to you; it doesn't count them. Use COUNT(*) if you need a total.