AVERAGE
Finds the arithmetic mean of a set of numbers, ignoring text and blanks.
AVERAGE adds up the numeric values in its arguments and divides by how many numeric values it found, which sounds too simple to get wrong until a genuinely empty cell sits next to a cell that holds a real zero. Excel treats those two very differently: a blank cell is left out of both the sum and the count, while a zero is a real value that gets added to the sum and counted toward the denominator.
That distinction matters most anywhere a missing entry and a true zero score mean different things, like a quiz that hasn't been taken yet versus a quiz where someone genuinely scored zero.
Syntax
| Argument | Description |
|---|---|
| number1 | Required. A number, a cell, or a range. |
| number2, ... | Optional. Up to 255 more numbers, cells, or ranges. |
A real example: averaging scores where one player scored zero
Three players, one of whom genuinely scored 0 points rather than having not played yet:
With scores of 10, 0, and 20, that formula returns 10, not 15. The zero is divided across all three players; it would only be excluded if B3 were genuinely empty instead of holding a real 0.
Worked examples
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Round | Score |
| 2 | 1 | 72 |
| 3 | 2 | 88 |
| 4 | 3 | 91 |
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Player | Points |
| 2 | Kai | 10 |
| 3 | Ren | 0 |
| 4 | Sam | 20 |
(not 15: the 0 is a real value, averaged over 3 players, not 2)
Common mistakes
- Expecting a blank cell to count as zero. It's excluded, which changes the denominator.
- Averaging a range that includes a subtotal or total row. That row gets averaged in too, skewing the result.
- Rounding the input data before averaging instead of after. Round the final AVERAGE, not each score.
Related functions
Try it yourself
A free, graded practice exercise using this exact function: instant feedback, no signup required.
Practice AVERAGE →