FIND and SEARCH in Google Sheets - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does the FIND function do in Google Sheets?

FIND looks for a specific text inside another text and tells you the position where it starts. It is case-sensitive, so it treats uppercase and lowercase letters differently.

beginner

How is SEARCH different from FIND in Google Sheets?

SEARCH also finds the position of text inside another text but is not case-sensitive. It means it treats uppercase and lowercase letters the same.

beginner

What happens if FIND or SEARCH does not find the text?

Both FIND and SEARCH will give an error (#VALUE!) if the text you are looking for is not found in the cell.

beginner

Write the formula to find the position of "cat" in cell A1 using FIND.

The formula is =FIND("cat", A1). It will return the starting position of "cat" in the text inside A1, considering case.

beginner

Why would you use SEARCH instead of FIND?

Use SEARCH when you want to find text without worrying about uppercase or lowercase letters. For example, SEARCH("cat", A1) finds "Cat", "CAT", or "cat".

Which function is case-sensitive when searching text in Google Sheets?

A FIND

B SEARCH

C BOTH FIND and SEARCH

D NEITHER FIND nor SEARCH

FIND is case-sensitive, meaning it distinguishes between uppercase and lowercase letters.

What result do FIND and SEARCH return if the text is not found?

A 0

B Empty cell

C #VALUE! error

D -1

Both functions return a #VALUE! error if the text is not found.

Which function would find "apple" in "Apple pie" regardless of case?

A SEARCH

B FIND

C Both FIND and SEARCH

D Neither FIND nor SEARCH

SEARCH ignores case, so it finds "apple" in "Apple pie".

What does =FIND("dog", "My Dog") return?

A 1

B 3

C 4

D #VALUE! error

FIND is case-sensitive and "dog" (lowercase) is not found in "My Dog" (uppercase D), so it returns an error.

How do you specify where to start searching in FIND or SEARCH?

A By changing the first argument

B By adding a third number argument for start position

C By using a different function

D You cannot specify start position

Both FIND and SEARCH accept an optional third argument to set the starting position for the search.

Explain how FIND and SEARCH work and when to use each in Google Sheets.

Think about case sensitivity and error results.

Describe how to handle errors when using FIND or SEARCH in a formula.

Consider how to avoid showing errors to users.

Practice

1. What is the main difference between the FIND and SEARCH functions in Google Sheets?

easy

A. FIND is case-sensitive; SEARCH is not case-sensitive.

B. SEARCH returns the length of the text; FIND returns the position.

C. FIND works only with numbers; SEARCH works only with text.

D. SEARCH is case-sensitive; FIND is not case-sensitive.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the behavior of FIND

   The FIND function looks for text inside another text and cares about uppercase and lowercase letters.

2. Step 2: Understand the behavior of SEARCH

   The SEARCH function also looks for text but ignores case differences.

3. Final Answer:

   FIND is case-sensitive; SEARCH is not case-sensitive. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Case sensitivity difference = FIND is case-sensitive; SEARCH is not case-sensitive. [OK]

Hint: Remember FIND cares about case; SEARCH ignores case [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking SEARCH is case-sensitive
• Confusing FIND with SEARCH output types
• Believing FIND works only with numbers

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to find the position of "cat" in cell A1 using the FIND function?

easy

A. =FIND("cat")

B. =FIND(A1, "cat")

C. =FIND("cat", A1)

D. =FIND(A1)

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall FIND function syntax

   The syntax is =FIND(search_for, text_to_search_in). So the text to find comes first, then the cell.

2. Step 2: Match syntax with options

   =FIND("cat", A1) matches the correct syntax: =FIND("cat", A1). Others have wrong order or missing arguments.

3. Final Answer:

   =FIND("cat", A1) -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Correct syntax = =FIND("cat", A1) [OK]

Hint: Remember FIND needs text to find first, then where to find [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Swapping the order of arguments
• Omitting required arguments
• Using only one argument

3. Given cell A1 contains the text "Hello World", what will be the result of =SEARCH("world", A1)?

medium

A. 7

B. 8

C. #VALUE! error

D. 6

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand SEARCH ignores case

   The text "world" is found in "Hello World" starting at the 7th character (space is 6th).

2. Step 2: Calculate position

   Counting characters: H(1) e(2) l(3) l(4) o(5) space(6) W(7) o(8) r(9) l(10) d(11). SEARCH finds "world" at position 7.

3. Final Answer:

   7 -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   SEARCH ignores case, position 7 = 7 [OK]

Hint: SEARCH ignores case; count characters including spaces [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming case sensitivity causes error
• Counting position starting at 0 instead of 1
• Confusing FIND and SEARCH behavior

4. You used the formula =FIND("apple", B2) but it returns an error. What is the most likely reason?

medium

A. FIND cannot search for words longer than 5 characters.

B. The text "apple" is not found exactly with matching case in B2.

C. B2 contains a number, and FIND only works with text.

D. The formula syntax is incorrect; FIND needs three arguments.

Solution

1. Step 1: Check FIND function behavior

   FIND is case-sensitive and returns an error if the text is not found exactly.

2. Step 2: Analyze possible causes

   If "apple" with exact lowercase letters is not in B2, FIND returns an error. Syntax is correct with two arguments, and FIND works with text regardless of length.

3. Final Answer:

   The text "apple" is not found exactly with matching case in B2. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Case-sensitive search missing text = The text "apple" is not found exactly with matching case in B2. [OK]

Hint: Check exact case match when FIND returns error [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking FIND needs three arguments
• Assuming FIND works only with text, not numbers
• Believing FIND limits word length

5. You want to find the position of the second occurrence of "cat" in cell A1 containing "scatter cat" using FIND. Which formula will correctly find it?

hard

A. =SEARCH("cat", A1, 2)

B. =FIND("cat", A1) + FIND("cat", A1)

C. =FIND("cat", A1, 2)

D. =FIND("cat", A1, FIND("cat", A1) + 1)

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand FIND's start position parameter

   FIND can start searching from a specific position. To find the second occurrence, start after the first occurrence.

2. Step 2: Use nested FIND to locate second occurrence

   First FIND("cat", A1) finds position of first "cat". Adding 1 moves start to next character. Then FIND("cat", A1, first_position + 1) finds second occurrence.

3. Final Answer:

   =FIND("cat", A1, FIND("cat", A1) + 1) -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Nested FIND with start position = =FIND("cat", A1, FIND("cat", A1) + 1) [OK]

Hint: Use FIND inside FIND to locate second occurrence [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Adding FIND results instead of nesting
• Using SEARCH without case consideration
• Starting search at fixed position 2 instead of after first find