PHP strcmp() Function

Example

Compare two strings (case-sensitive):

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

Definition and Usage

The strcmp() function compares two strings.

Note: The strcmp() function is binary-safe and case-sensitive.

Tip: This function is similar to the strncmp() function, with the difference that you can specify the number of characters from each string to be used in the comparison with strncmp().

Syntax

strcmp( string1,string2)

Parameter Values

Parameter	Description
string1	Required. Specifies the first string to compare
string2	Required. Specifies the second string to compare

Technical Details

Return Value:	This function returns: 0 - if the two strings are equal <0 - if string1 is less than string2 >0 - if string1 is greater than string2
PHP Version:	4+

More Examples

Example

Compare two strings (case-sensitive = Hello and hELLo will not output the same):

<?php
echo strcmp("Hello","Hello");
echo "<br>";
echo strcmp("Hello","hELLo");
?>

Try it Yourself »

Example

Different return values:

<?php
echo strcmp("Hello world!","Hello world!"); // the two strings are equal
echo strcmp("Hello world!","Hello"); // string1 is greater than string2
echo strcmp("Hello world!","Hello world! Hello!"); // string1 is less than string2
?>

Try it Yourself »

❮ PHP String Reference