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MS Excel: Symbolic Operators, Complete Guide to Special Characters in Formulas

  • Writer: Fakhriddinbek
    Fakhriddinbek
  • Apr 25
  • 3 min read

Updated: Apr 27

Excel uses various symbolic operators to perform calculations, define references, combine values, and control logic. Understanding these symbols is essential for writing effective formulas and debugging spreadsheet issues.



Spreadsheet displaying a list of symbols and their meanings, such as + for addition and - for subtraction, in columns A to K.


Table of Symbolic Operators in Excel

Symbol

Meaning / Use

+

Addition or unary plus

-

Subtraction or unary minus

*

Multiplication

/

Division

^

Exponentiation (power)

&

Concatenation (joins text)

%

Percentage

=

Equal to

<>

Not equal to

>

Greater than

<

Less than

>=

Greater than or equal to

<=

Less than or equal to

!

Refers to another sheet

:

Range operator

,

Argument separator (or decimal separator in some regions)

$

Absolute reference

#

Error placeholder or special values

"

Encloses text strings

'

Encloses sheet names with spaces/special characters

()

Groups operations and function arguments

{}

Array constant (manual arrays)

\

Not used directly in formulas (escape character in VBA)

`

`

;

Argument separator (in locales that use comma as decimal)

.

Decimal point

?

Wildcard for a single character

*

Wildcard for any number of characters (in search)


Detailed Explanations


+, -, ✖ *, /, =

Basic arithmetic:

excel

=5+2 ➝ 7 =10-3 ➝ 7 =4*2 ➝ 8 =8/2 ➝ 4 =3^2 ➝ 9


^ – Power

excel

=2^3 ➝ 8


& – Concatenation

excel

="Hello" & " " & "World" ➝ "Hello World"


% – Percentage

excel

=50% ➝ 0.5 =200*10% ➝ 20


: – Range

Defines a range:

excel

=SUM(A1:A5)


, and ; – Argument Separators

  • ,: Used in most English-language Excel setups.

  • ;: Used in locales where comma is the decimal separator.

excel

=IF(A1>0, "Yes", "No")


# – Error Values

Used in error messages:

Error

Meaning

#DIV/0!

Division by zero

Wrong type of argument

Invalid cell reference

Unrecognized name

#N/A

No available value

Invalid number

Invalid range intersection


$ – Absolute References

Locks column and/or row:

excel

=$A$1 ➝ Absolute column and row =A$1 ➝ Absolute row only =$A1 ➝ Absolute column only


! – Sheet Reference

Refers to a different sheet:

excel

=Sheet2!A1 ='Sales 2024'!B2


" – Text Strings

excel

="Excel is fun"


Use it to pass literal text in formulas.

' – Sheet Names with Spaces

excel

='Annual Report'!A1


Necessary when the sheet name has spaces or special characters.


{} – Array Constants

excel

=SUM({1,2,3}) ➝ 6


You can also enter array formulas using Ctrl+Shift+Enter in older Excel versions.

? and * – Wildcards


Used in functions like SEARCH, COUNTIF, VLOOKUP:

  • * – Any number of characters

  • ? – A single character

excel

=COUNTIF(A1:A10, "Ap*") ➝ Counts values that start with "Ap"


  • \, | – Not Common in Formulas

  • \ – Used in VBA or filenames.

  • | – Not used in Excel formulas, but used in Power Query or custom expressions.


Special Characters in VBA / Advanced Use

In VBA, characters like \, |, {}, and others might have a different meaning (e.g., escape sequences, logical OR, etc.). But in regular Excel formulas, their usage is limited or non-existent.


Things to Watch Out For

Symbol

Common Issue

#

Errors like #REF! or #NAME? confuse beginners

$

Mixed references can behave unexpectedly when copied

!

Forgetting ' around sheet names with spaces

&

Using + instead of & for text concatenation

; vs ,

Locale difference can break shared formulas

*

Misused as multiplication instead of wildcard


Conclusion


Excel's symbolic operators are the "punctuation marks" of formulas. They help define how formulas work, how cells interact, and how data flows. Understanding these little characters can dramatically improve your formula-writing skills and make your spreadsheets cleaner and more powerful.

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