Free LEN Formula Generator & Character Counter — Excel & Sheets

Returns the number of characters in a text string.

Generated Formula
=LEN(text)

Learning Resources

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Common Errors & Fixes

  • LEN returns a higher count than expected

    Causes:
    • The cell contains extra spaces, line breaks, or non-printable characters.
    • Number formatting adds hidden characters.
    Fixes:
    • Use TRIM(CLEAN(A1)) before counting to remove excess whitespace and non-printable chars.
    • Ensure numbers are plain text, not formatted values.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does LEN count spaces?

Yes, LEN counts every character including spaces, punctuation, and invisible characters. "Hello World" returns 11, not 10.

What does LEN return for an empty cell?

LEN returns 0 for a completely empty cell. If the cell contains a formula that returns "", the length is also 0.

What is the difference between LEN and LENB?

LEN counts each character as 1. LENB counts bytes (2 per character for double-byte languages like Chinese or Japanese). For English text, they return the same result.

Related Formulas

CONCATENATETRIMUPPERLOWERPROPER

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