How to find the most common text value in Excel
Excel formula
=INDEX(B2:B10,MODE.SNGL(MATCH(B2:B10,B2:B10,0)))Turn each value into its first position with MATCH, take the mode, and look it up: =INDEX(B2:B10,MODE.SNGL(MATCH(B2:B10,B2:B10,0))).
- Result on the example
- Login in
E1 - Works in
- Every current version
- Google Sheets
- Different formula, see below
See it work
The formula is already in E1. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.
How it works
MODE only works with numbers, so MATCH turns every category into the position of its first appearance: each "Login" becomes 2. The most common position is the most common category, and INDEX turns that position back into the text.
=INDEX(B2:B10,MODE.SNGL(MATCH(B2:B10,B2:B10,0)))Result"Login"
B2:B109 rows × 1 col: "Billing", "Login", "Shipping", "Login", …A range: 9 cells in one column.
MATCH(B2:B10,B2:B10,0){9 rows × 1 col} 1, 2, 3, 2, …MATCH: Position of a value in a list. 0 = exact match.- lookup_value
B2:B109 rows × 1 col: "Billing", "Login", "Shipping", "Login", … - lookup_array
B2:B109 rows × 1 col: "Billing", "Login", "Shipping", "Login", … - match_type
0
- lookup_value
MODE.SNGL(MATCH(B2:B10,B2:B10,0))2MODE: Most frequently occurring number.- number1
MATCH(B2:B10,B2:B10,0){9 rows × 1 col} 1, 2, 3, 2, …
- number1
INDEX(B2:B10,MODE.SNGL(MATCH(B2:B10,B2:B10,0)))"Login"INDEX: Value at a given row and column of a range.- array
B2:B109 rows × 1 col: "Billing", "Login", "Shipping", "Login", … - row_num
MODE.SNGL(MATCH(B2:B10,B2:B10,0))2
- array
In Google Sheets
Google Sheets needs a different formula: =ARRAYFORMULA(INDEX(B2:B10,MODE(MATCH(B2:B10,B2:B10,0)))). On the same data it gives the same result. Here it is running in Google Sheets mode.
Other ways to do it
Each one was run on the same example sheet.
| Formula | Result | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| =XLOOKUP(MAX(COUNTIF(B2:B10,B2:B10)),COUNTIF(B2:B10,B2:B10),B2:B10) | Login | Excel 365: counts every row's category and returns the one with the highest count. Easier to read. |
Common mistakes
- Blank cells in the range make MATCH return #N/A and the whole formula fails. Point it at the filled rows only.
- With a tie, the formula returns the tied category that appears first in the list.
Try it yourself
Same data, empty answer cell. Your formula is graded instantly, then re-checked on changed data, so a typed-in number won't pass.
Find the most common text value
E1, return the ticket category that appears most often in B2:B10.Questions
How do I also show how many times it appears?
Count it: =COUNTIF(B2:B10,E1).
How do I rank every category by frequency?
In Excel 365: =SORTBY(UNIQUE(B2:B10),COUNTIF(B2:B10,UNIQUE(B2:B10)),-1).
Checked by running on 2026-10-30: every formula and result on this page was calculated by the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine, in both Excel and Google Sheets modes.