How to use WEEKDAY in Excel
The day of the week as a number. 1 = Sunday by default.
Syntax
serial_numberA date or cell[return_type]2 makes Monday = 1 optionalExample
Here’s WEEKDAY on a small table of orders. The highlighted cells are the ones the formula reads.
=WEEKDAY(DATE(2026,11,2))Edit this formula live Change the ranges and watch the answer update. Free, no sign-up.
Common mistakes with WEEKDAY
Sunday is 1 by default
WEEKDAY(date) counts Sunday as 1. Use WEEKDAY(date,2) to make Monday 1 and Sunday 7.
For the name, use TEXT
TEXT(A2,"dddd") returns “Monday”.
What the error messages mean
Type these slips into Gridwise and this is the feedback you get:
Leaving off the closing bracket
=WEEKDAY(DATE(2026,11,2)
Parentheses don’t match. You have 2 opening and 1 closing parentheses. Every ( needs a ).
Questions
What does the WEEKDAY function do in Excel?
The day of the week as a number. 1 = Sunday by default. The syntax is WEEKDAY(serial_number, [return_type]).
Why is my WEEKDAY formula giving the wrong answer?
Sunday is 1 by default: WEEKDAY(date) counts Sunday as 1. Use WEEKDAY(date,2) to make Monday 1 and Sunday 7. For the name, use TEXT: TEXT(A2,"dddd") returns “Monday”.
Does WEEKDAY work in Google Sheets?
Most Excel functions, including the core ones on this page, work the same way in Google Sheets. A few newer functions arrived in Sheets later or behave slightly differently, so test it on your own data.