Add Quotes Inside Quotes in Google Sheets

So you want to add quotes to the text outputted by a Google Sheets formula? Weā€™ll show you how, with examples.

Published Categorized as Apps & How-to's

Let me know if Iā€™m getting this right: Youā€™re working on a spreadsheet in Google Sheets. The cells youā€™re working on have a formula that outputs text. You want to add quotes to the text, but it keeps breaking the formula.

So you did what anyone else would do in your situation: You googled the matter and landed on this page. Welcome, and read on! Weā€™ll show you how to do it.

How to Add Quotes to a Google Sheets Formula

Suppose you have the following Google Sheets formula:

="John said, Hello, everybody."

You canā€™t put quotes inside quotes, as youā€™ve already found out, because itā€™ll break the formula.

But if you replace the quotes with CHAR(34) ā€” the character code for straight double quotes ā€” the formula will convert it to quotes at the output.

="John said, CHAR(34)Hello, everybody.CHAR(34)"

The trick is to put CHAR(34) exactly where you want the quotes to appear, without extra space before or after.

Google Sheets Character Codes for Quotes

Quotes can be single or double, straight or curly. Depending on the type of quotes you need to insert in your formula, use the codes below:

NameCharacterCode
Double quotes, straight"CHAR(34)
Single quote, straight'CHAR(39)
Double quotes, curly, openingā€œCHAR(8220)
Double quotes, curly, closingā€CHAR(8221)
Single quote, curly, openingā€˜CHAR(8216)
Single quote, curly, closingā€™CHAR(8217)

In Summary

To add quotes to the text outputted by a formula in Google Sheets, use the CODE() function. Now, you know how, and which values to use!

By Dim Nikov

Editor of Maker's Aid. Part programmer, part marketer. Making things on the web and helping others do the same since the 2000s. Yes, I had Friendster and Myspace.

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