In the example shown, the formula in F5 is: E5 contains the string “calc” so, after concatenation, the MATCH function looks like this: and returns 3 inside index as “row_num”: Although the range B5:D5 is horizontal and contains just one row, INDEX correctly retrieves the 3rd item in the range: “calc 1500”.

Dave Bruns

Hi - I’m Dave Bruns, and I run Exceljet with my wife, Lisa. Our goal is to help you work faster in Excel. We create short videos, and clear examples of formulas, functions, pivot tables, conditional formatting, and charts.