WEEKDAY function: Description, Usage, Syntax, Examples and Explanation
What is WEEKDAY function in Excel?
WEEKDAY function is one of Date and Time functions in Microsoft Excel that returns the day of the week corresponding to a date. The day is given as an integer, ranging from 1 (Sunday) to 7 (Saturday), by default.
Syntax of WEEKDAY function
WEEKDAY(serial_number,[return_type])
The WEEKDAY function syntax has the following arguments:
- Serial_number: A sequential number that represents the date of the day you are trying to find. Dates should be entered by using the DATE function, or as results of other formulas or functions. For example, use DATE(2008,5,23) for the 23rd day of May, 2008. Problems can occur if dates are entered as text.
- Return_type(Optional): A number that determines the type of return value.
Return_type | Number returned |
1 or omitted | Numbers 1 (Sunday) through 7 (Saturday). Behaves like previous versions of Microsoft Excel. |
2 | Numbers 1 (Monday) through 7 (Sunday). |
3 | Numbers 0 (Monday) through 6 (Sunday). |
11 | Numbers 1 (Monday) through 7 (Sunday). |
12 | Numbers 1 (Tuesday) through 7 (Monday). |
13 | Numbers 1 (Wednesday) through 7 (Tuesday). |
14 | Numbers 1 (Thursday) through 7 (Wednesday). |
15 | Numbers 1 (Friday) through 7 (Thursday). |
16 | Numbers 1 (Saturday) through 7 (Friday). |
17 | Numbers 1 (Sunday) through 7 (Saturday). |
WEEKDAY formula explanation
- Microsoft Excel stores dates as sequential serial numbers so they can be used in calculations. By default, January 1, 1900 is serial number 1, and January 1, 2008 is serial number 39448 because it is 39,448 days after January 1, 1900.
- If serial_number is out of range for the current date base value, a #NUM! error is returned.
- If return_type is out of the range specified in the table above, a #NUM! error is returned.
Example of WEEKDAY function
1. Open a new Excel worksheet.
2. Copy data in the following table below and paste it in cell A1
Note: For formulas to show results, select them, press F2 key on your keyboard and then press Enter.
You can adjust the column widths to see all the data, if need be.
Data | ||
2/14/2008 | ||
Formula | Description (Result) | Result |
=WEEKDAY(A2) | Day of the week, with numbers 1 (Sunday) through 7 (Saturday) (5) | 5 |
=WEEKDAY(A2, 2) | Day of the week, with numbers 1 (Monday) through 7 (Sunday) (4) | 4 |
=WEEKDAY(A2, 3) | Day of the week, with numbers 0 (Monday) through 6 (Sunday) (3) | 3 |