If you’re working with data in Excel, you may need to count the number of cells that contain a certain value. But what if you need to count cells that match a certain value in a case-sensitive manner? In this article, we’ll go over the steps to count cells in Excel that match a certain value, and ensure that the search is case-sensitive.
Understanding the COUNTIF Function in Excel
Excel provides a built-in function called COUNTIF, which can be used to count the number of cells in a range that meet a certain criteria. The syntax for COUNTIF is as follows:
=COUNTIF(range, criteria)- The range argument is the range of cells that you want to search.
- The criteria argument is the value that you want to search for.
For example, if you want to count the number of cells in range A1:A10 that contain the value “apple”, you would use the following formula:
=COUNTIF(A1:A10, "apple")However, this formula will not distinguish between “Apple” and “apple” – it will count both as a match.
Using the EXACT Function to Ensure Case-Sensitivity
To make the search case-sensitive, we need to use the EXACT function in combination with COUNTIF. The EXACT function compares two text strings and returns TRUE if they are exactly the same, including case.
The syntax for EXACT is as follows:
=EXACT(text1, text2)- The text1 and text2 arguments are the text strings that you want to compare.
So, to count the number of cells in range A1:A10 that contain the value “apple” in a case-sensitive manner, we would use the following formula:
=COUNTIF(A1:A10, EXACT("apple", A1:A10))This formula will only count cells that contain the exact text string “apple”, with the same capitalization.
Working with Wildcards in the Criteria Argument
Sometimes, you may not be searching for an exact text string, but rather a partial match. Excel provides two wildcard characters that can be used in the criteria argument: the asterisk (*) and the question mark (?).
- The asterisk (*) represents any number of characters, and can be used to match any text string that contains a certain sequence of characters.
- The question mark (?) represents a single character, and can be used to match any text string that contains a certain single character.
For example, if you want to count the number of cells in range A1:A10 that contain the text string “app” (regardless of capitalization), you could use the following formula:
=COUNTIF(A1:A10, EXACT("*app*", A1:A10))This formula will count any cell that contains the text string “app” anywhere in the cell, surrounded by any number of characters.
By using the COUNTIF and EXACT functions in Excel, you can easily count the number of cells that match a certain value in a case-sensitive manner. Remember to use the wildcard characters if you’re searching for a partial match. With these tools, you can quickly analyze and organize your data in Excel.
