Compares two text strings and returns TRUE if they are exactly the same, FALSE otherwise. EXACT is case-sensitive but ignores formatting differences. Use EXACT to test text being entered into a document.

Syntax

EXACT(text1,text2)

Text1 is the first text string.

Text2 is the second text string.

Remarks

You can also use the double equals (==) comparison operator instead of the EXACT function to make exact comparisons. For example, =A1==B1 returns the same value as =EXACT(A1,B1).

Example

The example may be easier to understand if you copy it to a blank worksheet.

How to copy an example

  1. Create a blank workbook or worksheet.
  2. Select the example in the Help topic.

    Note Do not select the row or column headers.

    selecting an example from helpSelecting an example from Help

  3. Press CTRL+C.
  4. In the worksheet, select cell A1, and press CTRL+V.
  5. To switch between viewing the results and viewing the formulas that return the results, press CTRL+` (grave accent), or on the Formulas tab, in the Formula Auditing group, click the Show Formulas button.
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A B
First string Second string
word word
Word word
w ord word
Formula Description (Result)
=EXACT(A2,B2) Checks whether the strings in the first row match (TRUE)
=EXACT(A3,B3) Checks whether the strings in the second row match (FALSE)
=EXACT(A4,B4) Checks whether the strings in the third row match (FALSE)


See also: