Excel PROPER function
Capitalizes the first letter of each word and lowercases the rest. In Spanish Excel it is called NOMPROPIO.
Syntax
English Excel
=PROPER(text)
Spanish Excel (Mexico)
=NOMPROPIO(texto)
Spanish Excel (Spain, Latin America)
=NOMPROPIO(texto)
| Argument | What it is |
|---|---|
| text | The text to convert. |
Example
UPPER makes everything uppercase, LOWER lowercase, and PROPER capitalizes each word. Handy for cleaning up hand-typed lists.
=PROPER(A2)
Common mistake
It also capitalizes after apostrophes and hyphens: "o'brien" gives "O'Brien".
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Practice PROPER
Type the formula in the sheet and check it instantly. Spanish or English function names both work. See all lessons
PROPER, UPPER and LOWER
UPPER makes everything uppercase, LOWER lowercase, and PROPER capitalizes each word. Handy for cleaning up hand-typed lists.
In B2, write the name with each word capitalized (María López).
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | As typed | Clean | |
| 2 | mARÍA lópez | ||
| 3 | JOSÉ HERNÁNDEZ | ||
| 4 | lucía martínez | ||
| 5 | aNDRÉS gARCÍA | ||
| 6 | paola RAMÍREZ | ||
| 7 |
Tip: while typing, click a cell or drag across several to insert their reference.
Frequently asked questions
- What is PROPER called in Spanish?
- In Spanish Excel it is NOMPROPIO. The formula =PROPER(A2) is written =NOMPROPIO(A2) (or with commas in Mexico).
- Why does PROPER use semicolons in some Excel versions?
- It depends on regional settings. Where the comma is the decimal mark (Spain, much of South America), Excel separates arguments with semicolons. English Excel and Mexican Spanish Excel use commas.
- What is the most common PROPER mistake?
- It also capitalizes after apostrophes and hyphens: "o'brien" gives "O'Brien".