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Text function

DETECTLANGUAGE

Returns the language code that a piece of text is written in.

Rarely usedDifficulty 1200 · ProficientUsage rank #262 of 520
Practice · 2 questions →

When to use it

Returns the ISO language code of a piece of text.

The shape of it

Syntax
=DETECTLANGUAGE(text)

Worked examples

  • French

    =DETECTLANGUAGE("Bonjour") → fr

    French.

  • English

    =DETECTLANGUAGE("Hello") → en

    English.

  • Spanish

    =DETECTLANGUAGE("Hola") → es

    Spanish.

Worth knowing

  • Route rows to translators by language.
  • Short or ambiguous text can be misidentified; longer samples are more reliable.
  • Pairs with TRANSLATE.

Where it goes wrong

  • Requires an internet connection and Microsoft 365.
  • Numbers and codes return unreliable results.

Related

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