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REPT

Repeats text a specified number of times.

Quick Example​

=REPT("*", 5)

Returns *****.

Syntax​

=REPT(text, number_times)

Arguments​

  • text (required): The text you want to repeat
  • number_times (required): The number of times to repeat the text (must be non-negative)

Examples​

Create Pattern​

=REPT("*", 10)

Returns **********

Create Separator Line​

=REPT("-", 50)

Returns 50 dashes

Repeat Word​

=REPT("Hello ", 3)

Returns Hello Hello Hello

Zero Repetitions​

=REPT("text", 0)

Returns "" (empty string)

Repeat Single Character​

=REPT("x", 1)

Returns x

Create Visual Bar​

=REPT("|", A1)

If A1 = 5, returns ||||| (bar chart effect)

How It Works​

Repetition Process​

REPT creates a new string by repeating text:

  1. Takes the input text
  2. Repeats it number_times
  3. Concatenates all repetitions

Truncation of number_times​

Non-integer values are truncated (not rounded):

=REPT("x", 3.9)  // Returns "xxx" (repeats 3 times)
=REPT("x", 3.1)  // Returns "xxx" (repeats 3 times)

Empty text​

If text is empty, returns empty string regardless of number_times:

=REPT("", 100)  // Returns ""

Zero or Negative number_times​

  • If number_times = 0, returns empty string
  • If number_times < 0, returns #VALUE! error

Common Use Cases​

Create Visual Bar Charts​

=REPT("|", Sales/1000)

Create bar representing sales value

Mask Passwords​

=REPT("*", LEN(Password))

Display asterisks matching password length

Create Padding​

=REPT(" ", 10) & Text

Add leading spaces for alignment

Generate Test Data​

=REPT("Test ", 5)

Create repeated test strings

Create Borders​

=REPT("=", 80)

Create separator line in reports

Indent Text​

=REPT(" ", IndentLevel * 4) & Text

Create indentation for hierarchical display

Error Handling​

Error Propagation​

If any argument contains an error, REPT returns that error:

=REPT(#DIV/0!, 5)

Returns #DIV/0!

Common Errors​

ErrorCauseSolution
#VALUE!number_times < 0Use non-negative number
#VALUE!number_times not numericProvide a number
#VALUE!Result too long (>32767)Reduce repetitions or text length

Negative Repetitions​

=REPT("text", -5)

Returns #VALUE! (cannot repeat negative times)

Result Too Long​

=REPT("LongText", 10000)

Returns #VALUE! if result exceeds 32,767 characters

Technical Details​

Implementation Notes​

  • Requires exactly 2 arguments
  • Truncates non-integer number_times
  • Maximum result length: 32,767 characters
  • Returns empty string for 0 repetitions
  • Empty text always returns empty string

Length Limit​

The total length of the result cannot exceed 32,767 characters:

text length × number_times ≤ 32,767

If this limit is exceeded, REPT returns #VALUE! error.

Performance​

For large repetitions:

  • Efficient implementation
  • Linear time complexity
  • May hit length limit before performance issues

Advanced Examples​

Progress Bar​

=REPT("█", A1/10) & REPT("░", 10-A1/10)

Shows filled and unfilled portions (assuming A1 is 0-100)

Padding Numbers​

=REPT("0", 5-LEN(A1)) & A1

Pad number with leading zeros to 5 digits

Create Histogram​

=A1 & ": " & REPT("■", B1)

Label followed by bar representing value

Star Rating​

=REPT("★", Rating) & REPT("☆", 5-Rating)

Show filled and empty stars (assuming Rating is 0-5)

Dynamic Spacer​

=REPT(" ", MAX(0, 20-LEN(A1)))

Create variable spacing

Bullet Points​

=REPT("  ", Level) & "• " & Text

Create indented bullet points

Table Border​

="+" & REPT("-", 10) & "+" & REPT("-", 20) & "+"

Create table divider line

Combining with Other Functions​

With LEN for Masking​

=REPT("X", LEN(A1)-4) & RIGHT(A1, 4)

Mask all but last 4 characters

With CONCATENATE​

=CONCATENATE(REPT("-", 5), " Header ", REPT("-", 5))

Create centered header with borders

With IF​

=IF(A1>0, REPT("↑", A1), REPT("↓", ABS(A1)))

Show up or down arrows based on value

With MOD​

=REPT("🔵", MOD(A1, 5))

Show remainder as visual indicator

Visual Applications​

Simple Bar Chart​

=REPT("█", Value)

Percentage Bar​

=REPT("█", Percentage/10) & " " & Percentage & "%"

Temperature Indicator​

=REPT("🌡️", Temperature/10)

Level Indicator​

="Level: " & REPT("▰", Level) & REPT("▱", MaxLevel-Level)