Regular expressions·text that starts with this word

text that starts with this word

Matches text that starts with this word. It finds the match anywhere inside the text. There are no capture groups.

Pattern
/^Hello/
Match scope
anywhere inside the text
Capture groups
0
What it catches in the first example
Hello

Try it yourself

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

Hello world Hello

1 match

Examples that match

  • Hello world
  • Hello

Examples that do not match

  • say Hello
  • hello

Other expressions in this group

\ta tab character\na line break\r\na Windows line ending^\u00e9$a character written by code pointworld$text that ends with this word^cat$exactly this word and nothing else\bcat\bthe word on its own, not inside another\Bcatthe word only inside another word

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 text that starts with this word?

^Hello.

Q. Which strings match?

Text like Hello world matches; text like say Hello 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.