COUNT
Count how many cells hold numbers, ignoring text and blanks.
Syntax
COUNT(value1, [value2], ...)| Argument | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
value1 | Required | A range or value to count. |
value2 | Optional | Further ranges or values. |
Examples
Every example below was executed against VisiGrid engine 0.35.0 — not
transcribed from another vendor's documentation. Reproduce any of them with vgrid calc.
| Formula | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|
=COUNT(A1:A5) | 3 | Five cells, but only three hold numbers. |
=COUNTA(A1:A5) | 4 | For contrast — COUNTA counts the text too. |
Three functions, three questions
The range A1:A5 above holds 10, apple, a blank, 20 and 30:
| Function | Result | Counts |
|---|---|---|
COUNT | 3 | numbers only |
COUNTA | 4 | anything not blank |
COUNTBLANK | 1 | blanks only |
They sum to more than five because COUNT and COUNTA overlap. Picking the
wrong one is a quiet way to divide by the wrong denominator.
COUNT is the right choice when the number is going into an average or a rate,
because it matches what AVERAGE itself counts.
Excel compatibility
Matches Excel.