PHP String str_replace() Function

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The PHP String str_replace() function is used to replace all occurrences of the search string or array of search strings with a replacement string or array of replacement strings in the given string or array, respectively.

Syntax

Below is the syntax of the PHP String str_replace() function −

string|array str_replace(
   array|string $search,
   array|string $replace,
   string|array $subject,
   int &$count = null
)

Parameters

Here are the parameters of the str_replace() function −

• $search − (Required) It is the value that is wanted, also known as the needle. An array can be used to represent many needles.

• $replace − (Required) It is the value that replaces the found search results. An array can be used to provide several replacements.

• $subject − (Required) It specifies the string to be searched.

• $count − (Optional) It is a variable for counting the number of replacements.

Return Value

The str_replace() function returns a string or an array having all occurrences of the search term in the subject replaced with the replace value specified.

PHP Version

First introduced in core PHP 4, the str_replace() function continues to function easily in PHP 5, PHP 7, and PHP 8.

Example 1

Here is the basic example of the PHP String str_replace() function to replace a single word in a string.

<?php
   $text = "I love apples.";
   $result = str_replace("apples", "bananas", $text);
   echo $result; 
?>

Output

Here is the outcome of the following code −

I love bananas.

Example 2

In the below PHP code we will use the str_replace() function and replace multiple words in a string with the help of an arrays for search and replace.

<?php
   $text = "Roses are red, violets are blue.";
   $search = ["red", "blue"];
   $replace = ["green", "yellow"];
   $result = str_replace($search, $replace, $text);
   echo $result; 
?> 

Output

This will generate the below output −

Roses are green, violets are yellow.

Example 3

Now the below code uses str_replace() function to count how many replacements were made at the time of the process.

<?php
   $text = "I see the sea, the sea is blue.";
   $search = "sea";
   $replace = "ocean";
   $count = 0;

   $result = str_replace($search, $replace, $text, $count);
   echo $result;
   echo "\nReplacements made: " . $count; 
?> 

Output

This will create the below output −

I see the ocean, the ocean is blue.
Replacements made: 2

Example 4

In the following example, we are using the str_replace() function to replace values within an array of strings.

<?php
   $textArray = ["I love apples.", "Apples are sweet.", "Apples keep the doctor away."];
   $search = "apples";
   $replace = "bananas";

   $result = str_replace($search, $replace, $textArray);
   print_r($result);
?> 

Output

Following is the output of the above code −

Array
(
   [0] => I love bananas.
   [1] => Bananas are sweet.
   [2] => Bananas keep the doctor away.
)