The functions CONCAT and CONCATENATE do the same thing: They both combine multiple cells, ranges, or strings of data into one cell. The most common use of this function is to combine first and last name into one cell or join the city, state, and ZIP code into one cell.

NOTE: CONCAT replaced CONCATENATE in Excel 2016, but both functions are still available. Note that CONCAT appears only under Formulas > Text and Formulas > Insert Function > Category > Text, but both CONCAT and CONCATENATE appear under Formulas > Insert Function > Category > All.

Enter some first names in column A and last names in column B. Enter the following formula in column C: =CONCATENATE(A4,” “,B4) or =CONCAT(B4,” “,C4), then copy the formula down. What are the double quotes for? See Note below #2.

2. Enter a few cities (or ski resorts) in column F, states in column G, and ZIP codes in column H. Enter the following formula in column I: =CONCATENATE(F4, “,”, “ “, G4,” “,H4).

NOTE: If you want a space between the first and last name, you must enter that space inside quotation marks in your formula. The same thing is true for punctuation, such as a comma between city and state. In the following formula the “,” (quote comma quote—in red) tells Excel to insert a comma between the data in F15 (city) and the data in G15 (state). The “ “ (quote space quote—in purple) adds a space after the comma between F15 (city) and G15 (state) and another space between G15 (state) and H15 (zip code).

=CONCATENATE(F15, ”,”, ” “, G15, ” “,H15).