SQLite 3 reference · String Functions

SQLite SUBSTR() Function

Return part of a string starting at a 1-based position, with an optional length. Negative starts count from the end.

SQLite 3

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Syntax

substr(X, start, length)  |  substring(X, start, length)

Parameter	Description
`X`	The string (other values are converted to text).
`start`	The first character, counting from 1; negative counts back from the end.
`length` optional	How many characters to take; omit it to take the rest.

Text (or a BLOB slice), or NULL.

Take part of a stringTry it yourself

SELECT substr('ReadyCamel', 1, 5) AS first5,
       substr('ReadyCamel', 6) AS rest,
       substr('ReadyCamel', -5, 3) AS from_end;

Output

first5 | rest | from_end
Ready | Camel | Cam

Year and month from an ISO dateTry it yourself

SELECT order_date, substr(order_date, 1, 7) AS month
FROM orders
LIMIT 3;

Output

order_date | month
2026-01-05 | 2026-01
2026-01-12 | 2026-01
2026-02-02 | 2026-02

Positions start at 1, not 0. substr(x, 0, 3) returns only the first two characters.

Version	Change
SQLite 3.34.0	`substring()` is accepted as another name for `substr()`.

INSTR() · Return the 1-based position of the first occurrence of one string inside another, or 0 if it isn't found.
REPLACE() · Replace every occurrence of one string with another inside a string. The search is case-sensitive.
LENGTH() · Return the number of characters in a string, or the number of bytes in a BLOB. NULL gives NULL.
SQL String Functions · tutorial

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