HOW TO COMPARE TEXT FOR SIMILARITY
Introduction to Comparing Text
Improve your data comparison process in Google Sheets by identifying similar entries using fuzzy matching techniques with Flookup. Whether you are comparing short names or full sentences across multiple columns, Flookup lets you detect matches based on percentage similarity or semantic meaning.
To begin comparing text for similarity, go to Extensions > Flookup Data Wrangler > Text comparison functions in your Google Sheets menu.
Fuzzy Similarity by Percentage
- Open the sidebar
Go to Extensions > Flookup Data Wrangler > Text comparison functions > By percentage in your spreadsheet menu. - Select the mode to run
Choose character-level or word-level comparison from the drop-down menu. - Select the Primary Range
Highlight one or more columns and click Grab selected range. - Select the Secondary Range
Highlight another range and click Grab selected range. - Specify the columns to compare
Enter the Left_column and Right_column indices for the two ranges. - Specify the output location
Click an empty cell to mark where the results should appear. - Calculate similarities
Click the Get percentage similarities button.
Fuzzy Similarity by Text Meaning
- Open the sidebar
Go to Extensions > Flookup Data Wrangler > Transformation functions > By meaning. - Select the range containing the lookup value
Highlight a single column and click Grab selected range. - Select a second range to compare
Highlight another single column and click Grab selected range. - Specify output location
Click an empty cell to mark where the results should appear. - Get fuzzy matches
Click the Get semantic similarities button.
Notes on Fuzzy Similarity by Text Meaning
- Matches reflect meaning, not just surface similarity e.g. “I love dogs” vs. “I adore canines”.
- Only the first column of each selected range is used; ensure relevant text is in that column.
- A monthly limit of 10,000 calls applies; excess calls return an error until the next month.
For the Visual Learners
Labels might differ slightly but the steps are the same.