Substring: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 00:04, 21 December 2023

Latest revision as of 07:25, 30 May 2025

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[[File:Substring.png|thumb|"''string''" is a substring of "''substring''"]]

In [[Formal language|formal language theory]] and [[computer science]], a '''substring''' is a contiguous sequence of [[Character (computing)|character]]s within a [[String (computer science)|string]]<!-- Needs a citation. -->.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}} For instance, "''the best of''" is a substring of "''It was the best of times''". In contrast, "''Itwastimes''" is a subsequence of "''It was the best of times''", but not a substring.

'''Prefixes''' and '''suffixes''' are special cases of substrings. A prefix of a string <math>S</math> is a substring of <math>S</math> that occurs at the beginning of <math>S</math>; likewise, a suffix of a string <math>S</math> is a substring that occurs at the end of <math>S</math>.