Naming Steps With LET
Store and reuse intermediate values to simplify long formulas.
When Formulas Get Tangled
Have you ever written a long formula that repeats the same calculation three or four times? Long formulas are hard to read, slow to recalculate, and painful to fix.
The LET function solves this. It lets you give a name to a value or calculation, then reuse that name throughout your formula. Think of it like jotting down a number on a sticky note so you don't have to recompute it.
LET is available in modern Excel (Microsoft 365 and Excel 2021) and in Google Sheets. In this lesson you will learn to name intermediate steps and make tangled formulas readable.
The Shape of LET
LET follows a simple repeating pattern: pairs of name and value, ending with a final calculation that uses those names.
- Define one or more names
- Give each name a value
- Finish with a result that uses the names
The very last argument is always the calculation that produces the output. Everything before it comes in name/value pairs.
=LET(name1, value1, calculation_using_name1)