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How to count words in a cell in Excel and Google Sheets
Excel & Google Sheets
=LEN(TRIM(A2))-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A2," ",""))+1✓
Verified example
Computed by a real spreadsheet engine on the sample data below.
| Phrase |
| the quick brown fox |
=LEN(TRIM(A2))-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A2," ",""))+1→4
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Step by step
- 1LEN(TRIM(A2)) is the length with extra spaces removed.
- 2LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A2," ","")) is the length with all spaces stripped.
- 3The difference is the number of spaces; add 1 for the word count.
Tips
- TRIM first so leading/trailing spaces don't inflate the count.
- For an empty cell this returns 1; guard with IF(A2="",0,…) if needed.
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Frequently asked
Does this work for multiple spaces between words?
Yes — TRIM collapses repeated spaces to single spaces before counting.