The result is the text value that occurs most in the given range. Note: If you need to output a list of the most frequently occurring text values, this Excel 365 formula is a more complete solution. Because the lookup value contains more than one value (an array), MATCH returns an array of results, where each number represents a position. In the example shown, the array looks like this: Wherever “dog” appears, we see 2, and Wherever “cat” appears, we see 1. That’s because the MATCH function always returns the first match, which means subsequent occurrences of a given value will return the same (first) position. Next, this array is fed into the MODE function. MODE returns the most frequently occurring number, which in this case is 2. The number 2 represents the position at which we’ll find the most frequently occurring value in the range. Finally, we need to extract the value itself. For this, we use the INDEX function. For array, we use the range of values (B5:F5). The row number is provided by MODE. INDEX returns the value at position 2, which is “dog”.
Empty cells
To deal with empty cells, you can use the following array formula, which adds an IF statement to test for empty cells: This is an array formula, and must be entered with control + shift + enter.
Dave Bruns
Hi - I’m Dave Bruns, and I run Exceljet with my wife, Lisa. Our goal is to help you work faster in Excel. We create short videos, and clear examples of formulas, functions, pivot tables, conditional formatting, and charts.
