DETECTLANGUAGE Function in Excel: Which Language Is This?

DETECTLANGUAGE Function in Excel: Which Language Is This? featured illustration

πŸ“Ž This article includes 1 downloadable practice file ↓

⏱ 2 min readUpdated 28 September 2026

TextLevel: IntermediateAvailable in: Excel 365 / 2021+

In this article
  1. Syntax
  2. Examples
  3. Example 1
  4. DETECTLANGUAGE in practice
  5. Where you will use it
  6. Worked example
  7. Mistakes people make
  8. Related functions
  9. Continue learning

DETECTLANGUAGE returns the language code of a text β€” useful for sorting customer feedback before translating it.

Advertisement

Syntax

=DETECTLANGUAGE(text)
Argument What it means
text Any text.

Examples

Example 1

=DETECTLANGUAGE(C2)

Returns codes like “hi”, “ta” or “en” for each review.

DETECTLANGUAGE in practice

Where you will use it

  • Sort customer feedback by language
  • Route Hindi and English tickets to the right team
  • Check translated product titles

Worked example

TextFormulaResult
Namaste, aap kaise hain?=DETECTLANGUAGE(A2)en
ΰ€―ΰ€Ή ΰ€‰ΰ€€ΰ₯ΰ€ͺΰ€Ύΰ€¦ ΰ€¬ΰ€Ήΰ₯ΰ€€ ΰ€…ΰ€šΰ₯ΰ€›ΰ€Ύ ΰ€Ήΰ₯ˆ=DETECTLANGUAGE(A3)hi
Bonjour tout le monde=DETECTLANGUAGE(A4)fr

Needs Microsoft 365 online. Expected output shown, not calculated here: DETECTLANGUAGE needs the latest Microsoft 365.

Mistakes people make

MistakeWhat to do instead
Romanised HindiHindi typed in English letters may be detected as English or another language
Very short textOne or two words are unreliable; use full sentences

TRANSLATE

πŸ“š Part of the free Excel course: Beginner β†’ Expert Β· Try it in the Formula Lab or ask the AI Helper.

⚑ Interactive Practice Lab & Formula Tester:

Test formulas dynamically in our web formula laboratory or download the companion Excel workbook.

πŸ“Ž Practice files for this article

  • πŸ“—
    Practice workbook: Text & cleaning24 tasks on realistic sales data β€” type your formula, the Check column turns green when it is right. Answers sheet included.
    ⬇ XLSX Β· 35 KB

Free to use for learning. Files with macros (.bas) are plain text β€” import them with Alt+F11 β†’ File β†’ Import File, and always test on a copy.

✨ Ask AI about this article

Stuck on a step? Ask a question and the AI answers using this article.

Free Β· AI can be wrong