What is the difference between SUBSTITUTE and REPLACE?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Question restatement: What is the difference between SUBSTITUTE and REPLACE?

Option 1: 'SUBSTITUTE replaces text based on its position, while REPLACE replaces specific text within a string.' This is inaccurate because SUBSTITUTE is designed to replace specific text by matching a given substring, not by position. The notion of 'based on its position' more closely resembles a positional operation, which SUBSTITUTE does not rely on.

Option 2: 'SUBSTITUTE replaces specific text within a string, while REPLACE replaces text based on its position.' This aligns with common spreadsheet and text function behavior: SUBSTITUTE targets a defined substring to replace, regardless of where it occurs, whereas REPLACE substitutes text at a specified position or range offset within the string. This captures the core distinction between the two operations.

Option 3: 'SUBSTITUTE works only with numeric values, while REPLACE works with text values.' This is incorrect because SUBSTITUTE operates on text substrings and is not limited to numbers; both functions are applied to strings, but the limitation described here is false.

Option 4: 'SUBSTITUTE replaces text only once, while REPLACE replaces text multiple times.' This misstates the capabilities: SUBSTITUTE can replace all occurrences or a specified instance of the target substring depending on the function’s parameters, and REPLACE operates on a defined segment by position, not inherently by counting multiple occurrences. The phrasing here oversimplifies and mischaracterizes both functions.

In summary, the key distinction is that SUBSTITUTE targets a specific substring to replace within the text, whereas REPLACE operates by position within the string, making Option 2 the correct description while the others contain misinterpretations about how these functions locate and replace text.

COMM_V 335 101 102 2025W1 FINAL EXAM - 2025W1 - Requires Respondus LockDown Browser

What is the difference between SUBSTITUTE and REPLACE?

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

Similar Questions

Which of the following best describes what the =RAND() function in Excel returns?

SUMIFS and COUNTIFS can return logical outputs.

A 1 Phrase 2 Darren Dahl is the Dean of the Sauder School of Business. Which formula below will return a number (i.e., not #VALUE! or #NAME?)

You can see that Wankdorf Stadium is in J6. When you execute =SEARCH("stadium",J6) in a blank cell, 10 is returned as a result. If you type the following formula in another blank cell in World Cup tab, what would be the output returned when executed? =SEARCH("stadium*",J6)

You can see that Wankdorf Stadium is in J6. When you execute =SEARCH("stadium",J6) in a blank cell, 10 is returned as a result. If you type the following formula in another blank cell in World Cup tab, what would be the output returned when executed? =SEARCH("stadium?",J6)

More Practical Tools for International Students

Exam Browser Assistant

Stylized Writing Assistant

Plagiarism Checker Assistant

Citation Assistant

In-Class Translation Assistant

Class Notes Assistant

Quiz Search Assistant

Past Exam Questions by School

Smart Practice Assistant

Adaptive Practice

Making Your Study Simpler