Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 18, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365
In Excel, Graham has created a matrix of player names for his league. Cells B2:H2 contain the names of the players, as do cells A3:A9. At each intersection in the matrix, Graham places a "W" or "L" to indicate whether the match-up resulted in a win or loss for the player in each row. If a player plays another person more than once, then a cell contains a "W" or "L" for each game. Graham was wondering what formula could be used, starting in column I, to indicate the number or wins and losses for each player.
You might think you could use the COUNTIF function to count whether cells contain a "W" or "L." If that is all it was possible to contain in the cells, then you could use that function. However, a cell could contain multiple "W" or "L" characters (such as "WWL" or even "WLWWWLW") if the players played multiple games. COUNTIF would tell you that the cell contains "W" or "L," but not how many "W" or "L" characters are within the cell.
There are a number of ways you can get the desired information. One is to use this type of formula:
=LEN(SUBSTITUTE(B3&C3&D3&E3&F3&G3&H3,"L",""))
This formula calculates the number of non-L characters in row 3—in other words, the number of wins. It does this by concatenating the contents of B3:H3, and then using the SUBSTITUTE function to remove all the Ls. This leaves the Ws, which are counted by the LEN function. You could also use the CONCATENATE function, in the following manner, for the same result:
=LEN(SUBSTITUTE(CONCATENATE(B3,C3,D3,E3,F3,G3,H3),"L",""))
To calculate the number of losses, simply replace "L" in each formula with "W".
You can also use an array formula, which allows you to specify a range of cells to examine, rather than needing to specify every single cell:
=SUM(LEN(SUBSTITUTE(B3:H3, "L","")))
This array formula, entered by pressing Shift+Ctrl+Enter, returns the number of wins (W characters) in the range B3:H3.
Finally, you can use a user-defined function to return the occurrences of a specific character within a given range. The following macro will do the trick:
Function CharNums(r, chr) As Integer Dim c As Range Dim strX As String Dim J As Integer Application.Volatile CharNums = 0 For Each c In r.Cells strX = c.Value For J = 1 To Len(strX) If Mid(strX, J, 1) = chr Then CharNums = CharNums + 1 Next J Next c End Function
To use the function, you would us a formula like this in your worksheet:
=CharNums(B3:H3;"W")
The function returns the number of uppercase W characters in the range. All other characters (including lowercase w characters) are ignored. To count losses, simply substitute L for W in the formula.
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (11650) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Counting Wins and Losses.
Best-Selling VBA Tutorial for Beginners Take your Excel knowledge to the next level. With a little background in VBA programming, you can go well beyond basic spreadsheets and functions. Use macros to reduce errors, save time, and integrate with other Microsoft applications. Fully updated for the latest version of Office 365. Check out Microsoft 365 Excel VBA Programming For Dummies today!
Sometimes it can be tricky to figure out how to get exactly what you want from a dataset. In this tip, you discover how ...
Discover MoreThere are times when it can be beneficial to combine both numbers and text in the same cell. This can be easily done ...
Discover MoreSearching for a value using Excel's Find tool is easy; searching for that same value using a formula or a macro is more ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments