Text List Set Operations
Compare two text lists with intersection, union and directional or symmetric differences. Control case, spaces, Unicode and empty lines, then export unique results and occurrence counts.
Settings
Try the example or enter your own settings.
This is a unique-set comparison, not a multiset subtraction. Original duplicates affect occurrence counts, not result multiplicity. Inputs are never executed. Ads can technically access page inputs; use public samples for confidential lists. CSV protects formula-like values by prefixing an apostrophe.
Using Text List Set Operations
Compare two text lists with intersection, union and directional or symmetric differences. Control case, spaces, Unicode and empty lines, then export unique results and occurrence counts.
- Paste one item per line into A and B, or choose a file destination and open UTF-8 text. Try the example or swap the two lists.
- Choose an operation and explicit case, whitespace, Unicode and empty-line rules. Select plain text or the complete JSON report.
- Compare the unique result and membership audit. Copy/download results or export all occurrence rows as CSV.
Example
Try the included editable example. Choose an operation and explicit case, whitespace, Unicode and empty-line rules. Select plain text or the complete JSON report.
Questions & answers
What is intersection versus union?
Intersection keeps items present in both lists. Union keeps every unique item from either list. Matching uses the selected comparison rules.
How do the difference modes work?
A minus B keeps items only in A; B minus A keeps items only in B. Symmetric difference keeps items appearing in exactly one list. Use Swap lists to reverse A and B.
Are duplicate entries preserved?
Results contain unique set members. The audit includes occurrence counts for both lists, but this is not multiset subtraction. For repeated matches, the first spelling from A is kept; B-only items use B spelling.
How does case-insensitive comparison work?
It uses locale-independent Unicode lowercase after optional NFC normalization. It is not full Unicode case folding, so forms such as German sharp s and ss do not automatically match.
What happens to empty lines and spaces?
Surrounding whitespace is trimmed by default and empty entries ignored. You can preserve both. An entirely empty input is an empty list; a newline can create empty entries when Keep is selected. JSON distinguishes no result from an empty-string result.
What limits and exports apply?
Each list supports 100,000 characters and 10,000 lines. The on-screen audit is limited to 1,000 rows; JSON and CSV export every audit row. Result text and JSON are capped at 1.5 million characters. CSV formula-like cells receive a leading apostrophe.
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