SPLIT function in Google Sheets - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

Sample Data

This data shows text strings in column A with different delimiters: commas, semicolons, and vertical bars.

Cell	Value
A1	apple,banana,orange
A2	cat;dog;mouse
A3	red|green|blue

Formula Trace

=SPLIT(A1, ",")

Step 1: A1

Step 2: delimiter ","

Step 3: SPLIT("apple,banana,orange", ",")

Cell Reference Map

   A                   B       C       D
1  apple,banana,orange  apple   banana  orange
2  cat;dog;mouse
3  red|green|blue

The formula references cell A1 which contains a comma-separated list. The SPLIT function uses the comma as delimiter to split the text into separate cells horizontally.

Result

   A                   B       C       D
1  apple,banana,orange  apple   banana  orange
2  cat;dog;mouse
3  red|green|blue

After applying SPLIT to A1 with comma delimiter, the text is split into three separate cells in columns B, C, and D.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What does the SPLIT function do with the text in A1?

A Counts the number of commas

B Separates the text into parts where commas appear

C Joins the text into one string

D Replaces commas with spaces

Key Result

SPLIT(text, delimiter) splits text into parts where delimiter appears, placing each part in adjacent cells horizontally.