Regular expressions·anything but a digit

anything but a digit

Matches anything but a digit. It finds the match anywhere inside the text. There are no capture groups.

Pattern
/\D/
Match scope
anywhere inside the text
Capture groups
0
What it catches in the first example
a

Try it yourself

Type any text and the parts this expression catches are highlighted. It runs in your browser and is never sent anywhere.

a 1a

3 matches

Examples that match

  • a
  • 1a

Examples that do not match

  • 123
  • 7

Other expressions in this group

How 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 anything but a digit?

\D.

Q. Which strings match?

Text like a matches; text like 123 does not.

Q. Does the whole string have to match?

No. It finds the part anywhere inside the text. Add ^ and $ around it if you want a whole-string check.

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.