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How to get the first word in a cell in Excel and Google Sheets
Topic:Text manipulationExcel & Google Sheets
=IFERROR(LEFT(A2,FIND(" ",A2)-1),A2)✓
Verified example
Computed by a real spreadsheet engine on the sample data below.
| Full Name |
| Alice Johnson |
| Bob Smith |
| Carol White |
| David Brown |
=IFERROR(LEFT(A2,FIND(" ",A2)-1),A2)→Alice
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Step by step
- 1Use FIND(" ",A2) to locate the position of the first space in the cell.
- 2Subtract 1 to exclude the space itself from the extraction.
- 3Wrap in LEFT(): =LEFT(A2,FIND(" ",A2)-1) returns all characters before the first space.
- 4Wrap the whole thing in IFERROR(…,A2) so that single-word cells (no space found) return the full cell value instead of an error.
- 5The final formula: =IFERROR(LEFT(A2,FIND(" ",A2)-1),A2).
Tips
- To handle leading spaces, first trim the cell: =IFERROR(LEFT(TRIM(A2),FIND(" ",TRIM(A2))-1),TRIM(A2)).
Need it for your exact data?
Describe your columns in plain English and get the precise formula for your sheet, with the right Excel or Sheets syntax.
Frequently asked
What if I need the first two words?
Find the second space using FIND(" ",A2,FIND(" ",A2)+1) and use that position (minus 1) as the number of characters for LEFT.
Can I use this to split a full name into first and last name columns?
Yes — use this formula for the first name and the last-word formula (get-the-last-word) for the last name.
More on Text manipulation
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How-toHow to remove extra spaces
Clean leading, trailing, and double spaces with TRIM — the usual fix for lookups that fail on values that look identical.
How-toHow to convert text to a number
Turn numbers stored as text into real numbers with VALUE or by multiplying by 1 — the fix for sums that ignore values.
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Pull everything after the @ from an email using FIND and MID. Works the same in Excel and Google Sheets.
How-toHow to extract the first name from a full name
Get the first name from a full name with LEFT and FIND, splitting on the first space. Works in Excel and Google Sheets.
How-toHow to add leading zeros
Pad numbers to a fixed width with leading zeros using TEXT, or a custom number format. Works in Excel and Google Sheets.