Explanation
The MATCH function returns the position or "index" of the first match based on a lookup value in a range.
MATCH supports wildcard matching with an asterisk "*" (one or more characters) or a question mark "?" (one character), but only when the third argument, match_type, is set to FALSE or zero.
In the example, we pick up the value in cell E7 and use concatenation to combine this value with asterisks (*) on either side. The lookup array is the range B6 to B11, and match_type is set to zero to all partial matching with wildcards.
The result is the position of the first cell in the lookup range that contains the text "apple".
To retrieve the value of a cell at a certain position, use the INDEX function.
Related formulas
Partial match with numbers and wildcard
Partial match with VLOOKUP
Related functions
MATCH Function
MATCH is an Excel function used to locate the position of a lookup value in a row, column, or table. MATCH supports approximate and exact matching, and wildcards (* ?) for partial matches. Often, MATCH is combined with the...
INDEX Function
The Excel INDEX function returns the value at a given location in a range or array. You can use INDEX to retrieve individual values, or entire rows and columns. The MATCH function is often used together with INDEX to provide row and column numbers....
