Which Excel function would you use to count the number of cells that contain numbers?

The COUNT function in Excel is specifically designed to count the number of cells that contain numeric data. It evaluates a range of cells and returns the total number of those that have numerical values, ignoring any cells that are empty or contain text. This makes it a precise tool when you need to determine how many cells in a dataset actually hold numbers, which is essential for various data analysis tasks.

In contrast, other functions serve different purposes. The COUNTA function counts all non-empty cells, regardless of the type of data they contain, which includes text and logical values in addition to numbers. The SUM function calculates the total of numeric values in a specified range, rather than counting them. Lastly, the AVERAGE function computes the mean of numeric values but does not provide a count of how many numeric entries exist. Thus, when the objective is to tally the number of cells with numeric content, the COUNT function is the most appropriate choice.