Google is one of the largest companies today, and it has earned that position thanks to its services. One of the most used in the workplace is Google spreadsheets , which have quite interesting functions, such as the possibility of counting words in a document and sharing it . To use this option, more details will be given below.
What to do to count the words in a Google Sheets sheet?
In Google Sheets you can do great things, such as sorting the data in them or counting the words . Now, in the case of this last function, there are various methods to carry it out. Next, three of them and the procedure to follow in each one will be said.
To count the words per cell
This program does not have a formal option to count words, but it is possible to use a formula to carry out this task. The formula in question is “=COUNT (cells)”. What this formula will do is select a specific cell range and count the words it contains.
In order to use this method, the first thing to do is select the cell in question and then write the formula with the range in the bar at the top of the sheet. Once this is done, you must press the Enter key, and that’s it, the result will be the total number of words.
Of course, it must be taken into account that the formula will count as a word everything that is separated by a space , so any character that meets these characteristics can be counted as a word.
However, if good spelling and consistency are maintained, by adjusting proper case distribution , the count will be accurate. In fact, this same formula can be used to count words in entire rows or columns. But in the case of the latter, there is another method that can be used.
Counting words per column
The above method is quite functional if you want to count words cell by cell. But in the case of a larger document (as is the case with most spreadsheets), this process will take a long time. Therefore, another way can be used to count the words column by column efficiently.
Now, we must know that this method has the disadvantage that it will not allow us to know the number of words in each cell, but rather the total number of the column. However, if there is no problem in this regard, simply follow the procedure with the following formula: ArrayFormula(LEN(CONCATENATE(A:A&CHAR(47)))-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(CONCATENATE(A:A&CHAR(47)), »/»,»»))))
In this case the values “A:A” represent the range of cells that we want to cover within the column. To be able to use it, you simply have to paste it in the formula bar at the top and adjust the values that are in it to the range that we want, then press Enter and that’s it.
With the COUNTA and SPLIT functions
Although the previous formulas are efficient, there is one that is just as effective as the previous two : the COUNTA SPLIT. Now, it must be said that, as in the first method, these words will be counted according to everything that is separated by spaces. Therefore, any character that is separated from others by spaces will be counted as a single word, even if it is not.
Well, having said that, there is a simple procedure to follow. The first is to highlight the cell where you want to display the results. Next you have to paste the formula in the top bar , which is =COUNTA(SPLIT(A2, » «)). Next we have to edit the range of cells that we want, press the enter key, and that’s it.
Well, it is seen that the process of counting words in a cell or column using these formulas is quite simple. However, they are not the only counts that can be done within Google Sheets. What other counts to do and also the process for doing so will be told below.
How can you count specific words in a Google spreadsheet?
One of the functions that makes the Google Sheet platform so useful is that it is possible to count specific words. For example, if we want to know how many times the word “ball” is in the text, we simply have to follow the procedure below and use the following formula: =COUNTIF(SPLIT(text ,” “), word ).
The first thing to do is select the cell in which we want to have the result; then you have to write the formula in question in the upper bar. In the “Text” section and in the “Word” section, we must write the range of cells that we would like to count , and within the quotes write the word in question that we want to count.
Once this is done, all you have to do is press “Enter” and that’s it. It’s super easy, and can be quite useful in certain jobs with this program. Now, something that could bother you when there is a line break between cells, as this could complicate the calculation. Therefore, now it will be explained how to count those words even if there are line breaks.
How to count words in Google Sheets when a text has line breaks?
In certain cells there is a line break, but that is also not a problem if you use this counting formula: =COUNTA(SPLIT(SUBSTITUTE( text ,CHAR(10),” “),” “)). The process is the same : select the cell, write the formula and replace the characters with our ranges.
So you can see how simple it is to do these word calculations using these formulas in Google Sheets . In addition, by having different formulas, you can choose the one that is most comfortable for you. This feature can be quite useful for those who use spreadsheets constantly, so this tutorial is highly recommended for that.
