two to four characters from a set
Matches two to four characters from a set. It is anchored at both ends, so the whole string has to match. There are no capture groups.
Pattern
/^[a-c]{2,4}$/- Match scope
- the whole string
- Capture groups
- 0
- What it catches in the first example
- ab
Try it yourself
Type any text and the parts this expression catches are highlighted. It runs in your browser and is never sent anywhere.
ab
1 match
Examples that match
- ab
- abcc
Examples that do not match
- a
- abcde
Other expressions in this group
^(?:https?://)?example\.com$an address with or without the scheme^(?:\d{1,3}\.){3}\d{1,3}$an address made of four parts^\d{0,3}$at most three digits^\w{3,8}$between three and eight word characters^(?:\w+\.){2}\w+$three parts separated by dots^/[a-z]+/?$a path whose trailing slash is optional^(cat|dog)$exactly one of two words^(ab){3}$a group repeated exactly three timesHow to read this
- With ^ and $ around it, the whole string must match; without them the match can sit anywhere. Always anchor an expression you use for validation.
- Round brackets ( ) capture what they wrap. When you only need grouping, write (?: ) so the numbering of later groups does not shift.
- Every expression here is checked against its examples. Even so, "looks like an email" and "is a real inbox" remain different questions.
- Nested open-ended repeats such as (a+)+ can blow up on certain inputs. Look for that shape before pasting someone else’s expression into your code.
Frequently asked questions
Q. What is the regex for two to four characters from a set?
^[a-c]{2,4}$.
Q. Which strings match?
Text like ab matches; text like a does not.
Q. Does the whole string have to match?
Yes. It is wrapped in ^ and $, so nothing but a full match passes.
Q. How do I use what it caught?
There are no capture groups, so only the whole match (match[0]) comes back. Wrap the part you need in brackets to capture it.