Counting with COUNT and COUNTA

1 / 4

COUNT and COUNTA count cells. They don't add anything up.

keyboard Typing formulas is easiest on a computer with a keyboard.

A1
ABCDEF
1NamePaidQuestionAnswer
2Tariq32How many people?
3NadiaHow many have paid?
4Daniel39
5Quinn27
6Jamalpending
7Isla20
8Kofi61
9Yusuf
10
11
12
13
names
amounts paid
Type to enter a value or a formula starting with =. F2 edits, F4 adds $ to a reference.
Study notes

How COUNT and COUNTA works

  • What do counting functions count?

    Cells. They don't add up what's in them.

  • What's the difference between COUNT and COUNTA?

    • =COUNTA(A2:A9) counts every cell that isn't empty: text, numbers, anything.
    • =COUNT(B2:B9) counts only the cells that hold a number.

  • Which one should you use?

    In a payments list, COUNTA on the names tells you how many people there are, and COUNT on the amounts tells you how many have paid. Empty cells and words like "pending" aren't numbers, so COUNT skips them.

Know someone fighting with a spreadsheet? Send them this page.