List Merger
Paste two or more lists, one item per line, and merge them: side by side with a separator (first names and last names become full names), one after another, alternating, or as every possible combination. Uneven lists, blank lines and duplicates are handled the way you choose. Free, no sign-up, and nothing leaves your browser.
Joins line 1 of every list, then line 2, and so on — first names and last names become full names.
0 items
0 items
Merged list
Enter items in at least one list, one per line.
How to Use the List Merger
- Paste your lists. One item per line in each box. Add up to six lists; a box left empty is ignored.
- Choose how to merge. Side by side, one after another, alternating, or every combination.
- Set the separator and the gaps. For side-by-side and combination merges, pick what goes between items — a space, a colon, a tab, a comma. If the lists are different lengths, choose whether to fill the gaps, leave them out or stop at the shortest list.
- Copy or download the result. The merged list updates as you type, with a count of its lines.
The Four Ways to Merge
Take list 1 as Ada, Alan, Grace and list 2 as Lovelace, Turing, Hopper, each item on its own line, with a space as the separator. In the results below, · marks a new line:
| Merge | Result | Lines |
|---|---|---|
| Side by side | Ada Lovelace · Alan Turing · Grace Hopper | 3 |
| One after another | Ada · Alan · Grace · Lovelace · Turing · Hopper | 6 |
| Alternate | Ada · Lovelace · Alan · Turing · Grace · Hopper | 6 |
| Every combination | Ada Lovelace · Ada Turing · Ada Hopper · Alan Lovelace · Alan Turing · Alan Hopper · Grace Lovelace · Grace Turing · Grace Hopper | 9 |
Side by side is what most people need: it lines up two columns of data that belong together, row by row. Alternating suits building a schedule or a shuffled-looking sequence from two sources, and every combination produces all pairings — the last list changes fastest, like the digits of an odometer.
When the Lists Are Different Lengths
Side-by-side and alternating merges have to decide what happens when one list runs out. With four statistics terms in list 1 (mean, median, mode, range), only three definitions in list 2, and a colon and space as the separator:
| Option | What happens to range | Lines |
|---|---|---|
| Keep every line and fill the gaps | range: — with the fill text, if any, after the colon | 4 |
| Keep every line and leave the gaps out | range — on its own, with no separator | 4 |
| Stop at the end of the shortest list | Left out | 3 |
Filling keeps columns aligned, which matters when the result is going into a spreadsheet, and a fill such as TBD makes the missing items easy to spot. Leaving the gaps out drops the separator too, so an unmatched first name doesn't end in a stray space. Whichever you choose, the merger tells you when the lists differ in length, so a missing line never goes unnoticed.
Every Combination: Watch the Size
The number of combinations is the product of the list lengths: two lists of 3 make 9 lines, but three lists of 25 make 25 × 25 × 25 = 15,625. The merger generates the first 10,000 lines, reports the full count, and asks you to shorten a list if you need them all.
What People Use It For
- Names. First names and last names into full names, or names and email addresses into one line each.
- Glossaries and flashcards. Terms and definitions joined with a tab can be imported into Quizlet or Anki, which both read tab-separated term and definition pairs.
- Spreadsheet rows. Columns joined with a tab paste straight into Excel or Google Sheets as separate cells.
- Test data and naming schemes. Every combination of sizes and colors, prefixes and stems, or keywords and modifiers.
- Reading and seminar lists. Alternate two lists so a schedule switches between them.
To compare two lists instead — what they share and where they differ — use the List Comparison Tool. To turn a single list into one comma-separated line, use the Comma Separator.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I combine two lists into one?
- Paste one list into each box and choose One after another to append the second list to the first, or Side by side to join them line by line. Tick Remove duplicate lines from the result if the lists overlap and you want each item once.
- How do I merge first and last names from two columns?
- Copy the first-name column into list 1 and the last-name column into list 2, choose Side by side and set the separator to Space. Each line of the result is one full name; choose Comma and space instead for "Last, First" order by putting the last names in list 1.
- How do I get every combination of two lists?
- Choose Every combination. Each item of the first list is paired with each item of the second, in order, joined by the separator. The number of lines is the two lengths multiplied, and the merger shows up to 10,000.
- What happens if my lists have different lengths?
- For side-by-side and alternating merges you choose: keep every line and fill the gaps with text of your choice, keep every line and leave the gaps out, or stop when the shortest list ends. The merger shows how many items each list has whenever they differ.
- Can I merge more than two lists?
- Yes, up to six. Side by side joins line 1 of every list, then line 2, and so on; every combination multiplies all of their lengths together, so the size grows quickly.
- Is my data uploaded anywhere?
- No. The lists are merged in your browser as you type, and nothing is sent to a server or stored.