Text Functions
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Count how often a character appears

LEN before minus LEN after removing it — the classic counting trick.

Task:

Each product carries a list of tags separated by commas. In C2:C6 count the tags on each product. (A list with two commas holds three tags.)

Interactive Spreadsheet

Read about LEN

Hints

+5 XPno-hints bonus

Solve it on your own to keep the bonus. Each hint gets one step closer to the formula.

Variations of LEN

0/3

The same formula in the other shapes it takes at work.

  1. LEN Function

    Count the number of characters in a text string.

    Core
    Beginner
  2. LEN against a character limit

    Will it fit? Check text against a limit before it gets cut off.

    Beginner
  3. Count how often a character appears

    LEN before minus LEN after removing it — the classic counting trick.

    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.

6 rows × 3 columns5 cells you fill in
ABC
1ProductTagsTag count
2Desk lamplighting,office,led
3Bookcasefurniture,storage
4Plant potgarden
5Rugtextiles,living room,wool,handmade
6Clockdecor,office
What this exercise teachesMay contain the answer

Excel has no COUNT-the-character function, so you measure what disappears when you take the character out. It works for any single character, and the +1 converts separators into items — the same fencepost logic as counting words from spaces.