LEFT up to a space: the first name
When the length changes from row to row, let FIND work it out.
Task:
The contact list holds full names in one column. In B2:B6 extract each person's first name — everything before the first space.
Interactive Spreadsheet
Hints
+5 XPno-hints bonusSolve it on your own to keep the bonus. Each hint gets one step closer to the formula.
Variations of LEFT, RIGHT, MID
0/4The same formula in the other shapes it takes at work.
- LEFT, RIGHT, and MID Functions
Extract parts of text using LEFT, RIGHT, and MID functions.
CoreIntermediate - LEFT up to a space: the first name
When the length changes from row to row, let FIND work it out.
Intermediate - RIGHT after a space: the last name
Count from the end: total length minus where the space is.
Intermediate - MID between two separators
Pull the middle section out of a code when every part varies in length.
Advanced
The data in this exercise
This is the grid you start with. Cell references in the task — B6, C2 — point at the row numbers and column letters below.
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Full name | First name |
| 2 | Nadia Kerr | |
| 3 | Bartholomew Lane | |
| 4 | Li Wei | |
| 5 | Josephine March | |
| 6 | Raj Iyer |
What this exercise teachesMay contain the answer
LEFT(A2,5) only works for five-letter names. FIND measures where the space actually is in each row, so the same formula serves Li and Bartholomew. The -1 drops the space itself.