The PROPER function
"SMITH john" becomes "Smith John". Handy for a list imported in capitals, with some damage to compound names.
Syntax
=PROPER(text)
In a French Excel: =NOMPROPRE(texte).
Arguments
- text: the cell.
An example
=PROPER(TRIM(A2))
Cleans spaces and capitalises each word.
Pitfalls
- Particles get a capital too: "van der Berg" becomes "Van Der Berg".
- After an apostrophe, the letter gets a capital: "o'neil" becomes "O'Neil", but "don't" becomes "Don'T".
Going further
- Clean text: case, spaces and invisible characters across a whole file.
- TRIM.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I put everything in capitals?
=UPPER(A2);=LOWER(A2)for the opposite.