PHP str_word_count() Function

Count the number of words found in the string "Hello World!":

<?php
echo str_word_count("Hello world!");
?>

Definition and Usage

The str_word_count() function counts the number of words in a string.

str_word_count( string,return,char)

Parameter	Description
string	Required. Specifies the string to check
return	Optional. Specifies the return value of the str_word_count() function. Possible values: 0 - Default. Returns the number of words found 1 - Returns an array with the words from the string 2 - Returns an array where the key is the position of the word in the string, and value is the actual word
char	Optional. Specifies special characters to be considered as words.

Parameter

Description

string

Required. Specifies the string to check

return

Optional. Specifies the return value of the str_word_count() function.

Possible values:

0 - Default. Returns the number of words found
1 - Returns an array with the words from the string
2 - Returns an array where the key is the position of the word in the string, and value is the actual word

char

Optional. Specifies special characters to be considered as words.

Return Value:	Returns a number or an array, depending on the chosen return parameter
PHP Version:	4.3.0+
Changelog:	The char parameter was added in PHP 5.1

Return an array with the words from the string:

<?php
print_r(str_word_count("Hello world!",1));
?>

Return an array where the key is the position of the word in the string, and value is the actual word:

<?php
print_r(str_word_count("Hello world!",2));
?>

Without and with the char parameter:

<?php
print_r(str_word_count("Hello world & good morning!",1));
print_r(str_word_count("Hello world & good morning!",1,"&"));
?>