# Sentiment analysis in Google Sheets with one formula

Put a five-level sentiment scale in a formula, point it at the review column, and every row gets a level you can count, sort and chart. No add-on to configure, no prompt to maintain.

Updated 22 September 2026. Source: https://hunchsheet.app/formulas/sentiment-analysis-google-sheets

## Why five levels beat positive or negative

A two-way split hides the rows that matter. "It is fine, does the job" and "Love the design, hate the battery" are both mixed, and a positive/negative flag puts them in the same bucket as a rave and a rant. Ordered levels keep the difference, and the model returns a position on the scale, so you can also see how far a row sits between two levels.

## The formula

```
=HUNCHSCORE(B2:B500, "How does the reviewer feel about the product overall?", "angry|disappointed|neutral|happy|delighted", "label")
```
In Excel: `=HUNCH.SCORE(B2:B500, "How does the reviewer feel about the product overall?", "angry|disappointed|neutral|happy|delighted", "label")`

The last argument, `"label"`, returns the most likely level as a word. Leave it out to get the weighted position from 0 (angry) to 4 (delighted) as a number, which sorts and averages.

## Real outputs

Six review-style rows, with the model's answers as returned on 20 September 2026. Column C is the numeric position, column D the label.

| Review | Position (0–4) | Label |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Arrived two days early and the stitching is perfect. Already ordered a second one for my sister. | 3.99 | delighted |
| Works as described but the app crashes every time I open the history tab. Support answered in a day. | 1.39 | disappointed |
| Way too expensive for what it is. The materials feel cheap and the strap broke in a week. | 0.46 | angry |
| It is fine. Does the job. Nothing special, nothing wrong. | 2.00 | neutral |
| Love the design, hate the battery. Dead by 3pm every day. | 1.06 | disappointed |
| Shipping took three weeks and the box was crushed, but the product itself is great. | 2.95 | happy |

The mixed reviews land where you would put them: the crushed box with a great product scores 2.95, just under happy; the design-love with a dead battery scores 1.06, disappointed.

## Count per level for the report

```
=COUNTIF(D2:D500, "delighted")
```

Repeat for each level, or build a pivot on column D. For a trend, keep the question text identical between waves; the scale only compares if the question does not move.

> Tip: Sort by column C descending and read the top and bottom five rows before you trust the summary. Two minutes of spot-checking tells you whether the scale matches your idea of "disappointed".

## Questions

### Can I use my own scale?

Yes. Any two to ten levels, low to high, separated by |. Describe a level after a colon when it needs it: "neutral: no clear feeling either way".

### What about reviews in other languages?

The model works best in English. Other languages work with lower accuracy; test a sample before relying on it.

### How much does 500 reviews cost?

500 credits. The Starter pack is $29 for 5,000 rows, so about $2.90. Blank cells and repeated texts are free.