For a formula where the text string to find is hard coded into the
formula...

=COUNTIF(A1:A600,"*jim*")

If, say, the text string to find is in a cell (say B1 for this example),
then use this formula...

=COUNTIF(A1:A600,"*"&B1&"*")

Adjust the range to suit your needs.

--
Rick (MVP - Excel)


"Bad_Shot" wrote in message
...
I am trying to count the number of rows where specific text strings appear.
If I found "jim" count it likewise, if I had "jack,jim" or "jim,john"
count
them as well, etc.

A
1 jim
2 jack
3 jim
4 jack, jim
5 jim, john
6 Jack, john

I'd like the answer to be, in this case 4.