How to Add Text Between Words in Excel

Need to insert commas, hyphens, slashes, or other text between words in Excel? This is a common task when formatting keywords, tags, product names, or cleaned-up text strings. In this guide, you will learn one built-in Excel method using a formula, and then a faster method with Kutools for Excel for adding text between every word in selected cells.

• Why add text between words in Excel
• Method 1: Add text between words with an Excel formula
• Method 2: Add text between every word in one click with Kutools for Excel
• Common use cases
• Excel vs. Kutools comparison
• FAQ

Why add text between words in Excel

You may want to add text between words in Excel when you need to:

• Insert commas between words for tags or keyword lists
• Add hyphens, slashes, or other separators for cleaner formatting
• Prepare text for importing into another system
• Standardize data in multiple cells at once

For example, you may want to turn apple orange banana into apple, orange, banana or red blue green into red / blue / green.

Method 1: Add text between words with an Excel formula

If you want to use a built-in Excel method, the SUBSTITUTE function is a good choice. It replaces each space in a cell with the text you want to insert, making it useful for adding commas, hyphens, slashes, or other separators between words.

Example formulas

Assuming the original text is in cell A2:

• Add commas between words
  =SUBSTITUTE(A2," ",", ")
• Add hyphens between words
  =SUBSTITUTE(A2," "," - ")
• Add slashes between words
  =SUBSTITUTE(A2," "," / ")
• Add custom text between words
  =SUBSTITUTE(A2," "," | ")

Steps

1. Select a blank cell where you want the result to appear.
2. Enter the formula based on the separator or text you want to insert. And press Enter to return the new text.
   
3. If needed, drag the fill handle down to apply the formula to more cells.
4. To replace the original values, copy the formula results and paste them back as values.

Result: Excel replaces every space in the text string with your specified text, so the new content appears with the separator inserted between each word.

Method 2: Add text between every word in one click with Kutools for Excel

If you want a faster and more direct way, Kutools for Excel provides an Add Text feature with an Only add to Between every word option. This lets you insert text between every word in selected cells without writing formulas.

Why this method is more convenient：

• You do not need to remember or edit formulas
• You can work directly on the selected cells
• You can preview the result before applying it
• It is especially handy when you need to batch edit multiple cells quickly

1. Select the cells containing the text where you want to insert text between words.
2. Go to Kutools > Text > Add Text.
   
3. In the Add Text dialog box, do the following:
   1. ① Enter the text you want to insert, such as , , - , or / .
   2. ② Check the Only add to option, and select Between every word from the drop-down list.
   3. ③ Preview the result and click OK.
      

Result: The specified text is inserted between every word in the selected cells instantly, with no formula column and no extra paste-back step.

Common examples of adding text between words in Excel

Here are some practical examples of when you might want to insert text between words:

• Add commas: apple orange banana → apple, orange, banana
• Add vertical bars: high medium low → high | medium | low
• Add slashes: red blue green → red / blue / green
• Add hyphens: North South East West → North - South - East - West

These formats can be useful for tags, labels, product descriptions, exports, and cleaned-up text presentation.

Excel vs. Kutools for Excel: which method is better?

Both methods can help you add text between words in Excel, but they suit different workflows. The Excel formula method is useful if you prefer a built-in solution, while Kutools for Excel is better when you want a faster and more direct way to edit selected cells.

FAQ

Conclusion: Now you know how to add text between words in Excel using either a built-in formula or a faster one-click method with Kutools for Excel. Choose the method that best fits your workflow and the amount of text you need to process.