Excel Terminology

cell

A rectangular 'box' in an Excel worksheet in which data is entered. Each cell in a worksheet is the intersection of a column and a row.

cell reference

The combination of the column letter and row number that intersect at a cell of an Excel worksheet. The cell reference uniquely identifies the cell and its location in the worksheet.

cell styles

Defined sets of attributes used to format the data contained in a cell in a consistent manner. Excel includes predefined cell styles, which are editable. You can also create your own custom cell styles.

Clipboard

Function that allows you to copy text and images from one Microsoft Office® document and paste it into another.

column

Fundamental component of an Excel worksheet. Columns contains a vertical arrangement of cells, each of which is identified by a letter in the column header.

cursor/insertion point

The point in a worksheet where the next character or space is entered.

formatting

The attributes that determine the way in which data is presented in a worksheet.  For example, character attributes include font, size, color, and effects such as bold, italic, and underline; number attributes include category (currency, date, time, etc.) and type  (for example, the way in which a date is displayed).

Ribbon

The horizontal ‘menu bar’ that displays across the top of the workspace in Microsoft Office® products. The Ribbon contains multiple tabs (File, Home, Insert, etc.) each of which provides context-sensitive commands used for working with the open document.

row

Fundamental component of an Excel worksheet. Rows contains a horizontal arrangement of cells, each of which is identified by a letter in the row header.

spreadsheet

See workbook.

tab

See worksheet.

workbook

An Excel file containing multiple worksheets (also known as 'spreadsheets').

worksheet

A single page or 'sheet' (also referred to as 'spreadsheet') in an Excel workbook. Each worksheet is accessed by clicking its tab at the lower edge of the workspace.