Counting & Conditional Math
Count Cells Over N Characters (REPT("?", N+1) & "*" Wildcard COUNTIF)
Count how many text cells exceed a strict character limit N (such as 60-character SEO titles or 160-character SMS messages) using wildcard COUNTIF(range, REPT("?", N + 1) & "*") without helper columns.
Audit SEO meta titles, SMS copy, and ERP field truncation limits in one cell!
Content marketers auditing 60-character Google title tags, CRM teams checking 160-character SMS segments, and EDI engineers validating 35-character shipping street lines constantly need to count how many rows in a text column exceed N characters! Because COUNTIF does not accept LEN(A2:A7) as its first argument, many users resort to helper columns.
There is a fast, zero-helper-column wildcard trick: in Excel and Arte Sheets, a question mark "?" matches ANY single character, and an asterisk "*" matches zero or more trailing characters! Therefore, REPT("?", N + 1) & "*" builds a pattern requiring AT LEAST N + 1 characters—so COUNTIF(A2:A6, REPT("?", D2 + 1) & "*") counts every text string strictly longer than D2 characters! Pairing a row-level LEN(A2) column also lets you check the maximum observed length across the entire batch.
| Page Title Draft | Character Length | Exceeds 30-Char Limit? | Wildcard Pattern Match (? x 31 & *) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arte Sheets Pricing & Plans | 27 chars | No (<= 30) | Does not have 31 characters |
| Exact 30-Char Boundary Example | 30 chars | No (Exact 30) | Needs >= 31 chars to trigger |
| Complete Financial Modeling Guide 2026 | 38 chars | Yes (> 30!) | Matches 31st char + 7 trailing |
| Automated Inventory EOQ & Safety Stock Calculator | 49 chars | Yes (> 30!) | Matches 31st char + 18 trailing |
Zero-Helper Wildcard COUNTIF for Text Cells Strictly Over N Characters
Repeats "?" exactly D2 + 1 times followed by "*" to match any text string of length >= D2 + 1.
=IF(D2 < 0, "Invalid Limit", COUNTIF(A2:A5, REPT("?", D2 + 1) & "*"))Count Compliant Non-Blank Text Cells Within Limit (<= N Characters)
Subtracts over-limit text cells from total non-empty text entries COUNTIF(A2:A5, "?*").
=IF(D2 < 0, "Invalid Limit", COUNTIF(A2:A5, "?*") - COUNTIF(A2:A5, REPT("?", D2 + 1) & "*"))Try the example
Use the original values or change them to test your understanding.