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NE

The NE formula in Google Sheets is an operator that stands for 'not equal to'. It returns a TRUE if value1 is not equal to value2, and a FALSE if they are equal. This formula is commonly used in conjunction with other logical operators to test whether two values are not equal to each other.

Usage

Use the NE formula with the syntax shown below, it has 2 required parameters:

=NE(value1, value2)
Parameters:
  1. value1 (required):
    The first value you want to compare to the second value.
  2. value2 (required):
    The second value you want to compare to the first value.

Examples

Here are a few example use cases that explain how to use the NE formula in Google Sheets.

Comparing two values

You can use the NE formula to test whether two values are not equal to each other. For example, you could use this formula to check whether a student's test score is not equal to the passing score in order to determine if they passed or failed the test.

Testing for non-blank cells

You can use the NE formula to test whether a cell is not blank. For example, you could use this formula in conjunction with the IF formula to perform a specific action if a cell is not blank.

Checking for errors

You can use the NE formula to test whether a cell contains an error. For example, you could use this formula to check whether a formula in a cell resulted in an error, and then perform a specific action if it did.

Common Mistakes

NE not working? Here are some common mistakes people make when using the NE Google Sheets Formula:

Incorrect argument order

One of the most common mistakes when using the NE formula is providing the arguments in the wrong order. Make sure that the first argument is the value you want to compare and the second argument is the value you want to compare it to.

Wrong syntax

Another common mistake is not using the correct syntax for the NE formula. Make sure that you have the correct number of commas and that the formula is spelled correctly.

Related Formulas

The following functions are similar to NE or are often used with it in a formula:

  • EQ

    The EQ formula is a comparison operator that returns TRUE if the two provided values are equal and FALSE otherwise. This formula is commonly used in conditional statements and logical expressions.

  • GTE

    The GTE function is an operator that stands for "greater than or equal to". It compares two values and returns TRUE if the first value is greater than or equal to the second value, and FALSE if it is not. It is commonly used in conjunction with other operators and functions to evaluate data.

Learn More

You can learn more about the NE Google Sheets function on Google Support.