Wildcard Characters

Freebeginner 15 min4 tasks0/48 pts

Wildcards let a criteria match patterns instead of exact text. * stands for any number of characters, ? for exactly one character, and ~ lets you search for a real * or ?. They work in SUMIF, COUNTIF and the other "IF" functions, but only with text criteria.

Syntax

"*" any characters · "?" one character · "~*" a literal asterisk

Example: =COUNTIF(A2:A10,"*on*") counts products that contain "on" anywhere. =SUMIF(A2:A10,"T*",C2:C10) adds sales for products that start with T.

Common mistakes

Using * on numbers: wildcards only match text.
Forgetting the quotes around a criteria like "T*".
Expecting ? to match zero characters: it always needs exactly one.

Intro to SUMIF SUMIF & Sum Range

Topics/Sum and Count Functions

Wildcard Characters

Freebeginner 15 min4 tasks0/48 pts

Syntax

"*" any characters · "?" one character · "~*" a literal asterisk

Example: =COUNTIF(A2:A10,"*on*") counts products that contain "on" anywhere. =SUMIF(A2:A10,"T*",C2:C10) adds sales for products that start with T.

Common mistakes

Using * on numbers: wildcards only match text.
Forgetting the quotes around a criteria like "T*".
Expecting ? to match zero characters: it always needs exactly one.

Intro to SUMIF SUMIF & Sum Range