Need to create an alphabet series in Excel automatically? With the ADDRESS and SEQUENCE functions, you can quickly generate alphabetical sequences for your projects. Here’s how to do it step by step!
Using the ADDRESS Function to Create an Alphabet Series
We’ll start with the ADDRESS function. This function returns the address of a cell.
- Row number of the cell
- Column number of the cell
- The type of reference to return, absolute or relative (important for this example)
- The reference style, A1 (TRUE or 1) or R1C1 (FALSE or 0)
For example, writing =ADDRESS(2,5) will display cell E2 as an absolute reference.
But this result isn’t useful for our purpose. We need to remove the dollar signs using the third argument of the function. Set the value to 4.
- 1: $E$2
- 2: E$2
- 3: $E2
- 4: E2
We then get this formula:
But it’s not enough. Written like this, the formula always returns the same cell 🫤 That’s why we need to make this formula dynamic. The SEQUENCE function will also be very useful here.
Create the Alphabet Series
Now, replace the second argument of the ADDRESS function with the SEQUENCE function. This way, we create a number series from 1 to 26, representing 26 columns or the 26 letters of the alphabet 😉
Then, extract the first character from each cell using the LEFT function. This way, we’ve created an alphabet series in one formula 😉
Custom List
You can create a custom list in Excel to reuse your series easily.
- First, create an alphabet series from A to Z using one of the previous formulas.
- Next, perform a Paste Special as values to keep only the letters without formulas.
- Go to File > Options > Advanced Options.
- Scroll to the bottom and click on Edit Custom Lists.
- Finally, select the range with your alphabet series and click Import.
Now that you know how to create an alphabet series in Excel, why not try it yourself? Share your experience in the comments below!
