LEN Function in Excel

Beginner

Returns the number of characters in a text string.

Syntax

=LEN(text)

Example

Use Case

Count the length of a password.

Common Errors to Avoid

  • Counts all characters including spaces and special characters
  • Numbers are counted as text characters, not digits
  • Doesn't distinguish between single-byte and double-byte characters (use LENB for that)

Pro Tips

Use to validate input length (e.g., password must be >8 characters). Combine with TRIM to get length without extra spaces. Helpful for extracting portions of text with RIGHT/LEFT/MID.

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LEN Function in Excel | Excel AI Tools