How to Perform Exact Word Searches in MySQL?

Performing a "whole word match" search in MySQL

When searching for keywords in a MySQL database, you usually need to match the entire word exactly, rather than a partial match. This is especially useful when searching for terms like "rid" as it ensures there is no match for "arid".

To achieve whole-word matching, use the REGEXP operator with word boundary markers. The [[:<:]] and [[:>:]] tags define word boundaries.

<code class="language-sql">SELECT *
FROM table
WHERE keywords REGEXP '[[:<:]]rid[[:>:]]'</code>

For MySQL 8.0.4 and later, the standard word boundary tag b should be used instead.

<code class="language-sql">SELECT *
FROM table
WHERE keywords REGEXP '\brid\b'</code>

Remember that for REGEXP mode to work properly, a backslash needs to be escaped with another backslash. By using this technique, you can perform exact whole-word matching in MySQL, ensuring the accuracy of your search results.

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