RegExp Char Group [^abc]
Example
A global search for characters that are NOT h:
let text = "Is this all there is?";
let pattern = /[^h]/g;
Try it Yourself »
Description
The /[^abc]/ expression matches any character NOT between the brackets.
Brackets [] specifies matches for the characters inside the brackets.
Brackets can define single characters, groups, or character spans:
| [a] | The character a |
| [abc] | Any of the characters a, b, or c |
| [A-Z] | Any character from uppercase A to uppercase Z |
| [a-z] | Any character from lowercase a to lowercase z |
| [0-9] | Any digit from 0 to 9 |
Syntax
new RegExp("[^abc]")
or simply:
/[^abc]/
Syntax with modifiers
new RegExp("[^abc]", "g")
or simply:
/[^abc]/g
More Examples
Example
Do a global search for characters that are NOT "i" and "s" in a string:
let text = "Do you know if this is all there is?";
let pattern = /[^is]/gi;
Try it Yourself »
Example
Do a global search for the character-span NOT from lowercase "a" to lowercase "h" in a string:
let text = "Is this all there is?";
let pattern = /[^a-h]/g;
Try it Yourself »
Example
Do a global search for the character-span NOT from uppercase "A" to uppercase "E":
let text = "I SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM!";
let pattern = /[^A-E]/g;
Try it Yourself »
Example
Do a global search for the character-span NOT from uppercase "A" to lowercase "e":
let text = "I Scream For Ice Cream, is that OK?!";
let pattern = /[^A-e]/g;
Try it Yourself »
Tip: Use the [abc] expression to find any character between the brackets.
Example
Do a global, case-insensitive search for the character-span that's NOT [a-s]:
let text = "I Scream For Ice Cream, is that OK?!";
let pattern = /[^a-s]/gi;
Try it Yourself »
Regular Expression Search Methods
In JavaScript, a regular expression text search, can be done with different methods.
With a pattern as a regular expression, these are the most common methods:
| Example | Description |
|---|---|
| text.match(pattern) | The String method match() |
| text.search(pattern) | The String method search() |
| pattern.exec(text) | The RexExp method exec() |
| pattern.test(text) | The RegExp method test() |
Browser Support
/[^abc]/ is an ECMAScript1 (JavaScript 1997) feature.
It is supported in all browsers:
| Chrome | Edge | Firefox | Safari | Opera | IE |
| Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
