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The COUNTIF function in Google Sheets can be used with wildcards to count the number of cells in a range that match certain criteria. For example, in a range of cells, wildcards can be used to count the number of cells that contain a certain text string, such as “*book*”. This will count any cell that contains the word “book” anywhere within the cell. Wildcards can also be used to count the number of cells that match a certain pattern, such as “b?g”. This will count any cell containing a two-letter word that begins with “b” and ends with “g”.
You can use the following formulas in Google Sheets to use wildcard characters with the COUNTIF function:
Formula 1: COUNTIF with One Wildcard
=COUNTIF(A2:A11, "*string*")
This particular formula counts the number of cells in the range A2:A11 that contain “string” anywhere in the cell.
Formula 2: COUNTIF with Multiple Wildcards
=COUNTIFS(A2:A11, "*string1*", B2:B11, "*string2*")
This particular formula counts the number of cells where A2:A11 contains “string1” and where B2:B11 contains “string2.”
The following examples show how to use each formula in practice.
Example 1: COUNTIF with One Wildcard
We can use the following formula to count the number of cells in column A that contain “avs” anywhere in the cell:
=COUNTIF(A2:A11, "*avs*")
The following screenshot shows how to use this formula in practice:
From the output we can see that there are 5 cells in column A that contain “avs” in the name.
Example 2: COUNTIF with Multiple Wildcards
We can use the following formula to count the number of rows where A2:A11 contains “avs” and where B2:B11 contains “Gua”:
=COUNTIFS(A2:A11, "*avs*", B2:B11, "*Gua*")
From the output we can see that there are 2 rows where the team contains “avs” and the position contains “Gua” somewhere in the cell.
Cite this article
stats writer (2025). How do you Use COUNTIF with Wildcards in Google Sheets?. PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Retrieved from https://scales.arabpsychology.com/stats/how-do-you-use-countif-with-wildcards-in-google-sheets/
stats writer. "How do you Use COUNTIF with Wildcards in Google Sheets?." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 29 Nov. 2025, https://scales.arabpsychology.com/stats/how-do-you-use-countif-with-wildcards-in-google-sheets/.
stats writer. "How do you Use COUNTIF with Wildcards in Google Sheets?." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 2025. https://scales.arabpsychology.com/stats/how-do-you-use-countif-with-wildcards-in-google-sheets/.
stats writer (2025) 'How do you Use COUNTIF with Wildcards in Google Sheets?', PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Available at: https://scales.arabpsychology.com/stats/how-do-you-use-countif-with-wildcards-in-google-sheets/.
[1] stats writer, "How do you Use COUNTIF with Wildcards in Google Sheets?," PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, vol. X, no. Y, ص Z-Z, November, 2025.
stats writer. How do you Use COUNTIF with Wildcards in Google Sheets?. PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. 2025;vol(issue):pages.