PHP 8 reference · String Functions

PHP substr_count() Function

Count how many times a substring occurs in a string. Matches don't overlap, and the search is case-sensitive.

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Syntax

substr_count(string $haystack, string $needle, int $offset = 0, ?int $length = null): int

Parameter	Description
`haystack`	The string to search in.
`needle`	The substring to count.
`offset` optional	Where to start counting. Default: `0`
`length` optional	How many bytes to search.

The number of matches.

Count matchesTry it yourself

<?php
echo substr_count("hello world, hello PHP", "hello"), "\n";
echo substr_count("a,b,,c", ","), "\n";

Output

2
3

Overlaps and counting linesTry it yourself

<?php
echo substr_count("aaaa", "aa"), "\n"; // not overlapping
echo substr_count("Line 1\nLine 2\nLine 3", "\n") + 1, "\n";

Output

2
3

Version	Change
PHP 4.0	Added

str_word_count() · Count the words in a string, or return them as an array. Words are runs of letters plus ' and -; digits split words.
strpos() · Find the position of the first occurrence of a substring. Returns false if it's not found, so compare with === false.
PHP Strings · tutorial