docs/sql-manual/sql-functions/string-functions/count_substrings.md

---
{
    "title": "COUNT_SUBSTRINGS",
    "language": "en"
}
---

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## count_substrings

### description

#### Syntax

`int count_substrings(STRING str, STRING pattern)`
Returns the total number of occurrences of the substring pattern in the string str.
Note: The current implementation shifts by the length of the pattern after each match in the string.
Therefore, when str: ccc and pattern: cc, the result returned is 1.

#### Arguments

`str` — The string to be checked. Type: `String`
`pattern` — The substring to be matched. Type: `String`


#### Returned value(s)

Returns the total number of occurrences of the substring.

### example

```
mysql [(none)]>select count_substrings('a1b1c1d','1');
+----------------------------------+
| count_substrings('a1b1c1d', '1') |
+----------------------------------+
|                                3 |
+----------------------------------+

mysql [(none)]>select count_substrings(',,a,b,c,',',');
+-----------------------------------+
| count_substrings(',,a,b,c,', ',') |
+-----------------------------------+
|                                 5 |
+-----------------------------------+

mysql [(none)]>select count_substrings('ccc','cc');
+--------------------------------+
| count_substrings('ccc', 'cc')  |
+--------------------------------+
|                              1 |
+--------------------------------+

mysql [(none)]>SELECT count_substrings(NULL,',');
+-----------------------------+
| count_substrings(NULL, ',') |
+-----------------------------+
|                        NULL |
+-----------------------------+

mysql [(none)]>select count_substrings('a,b,c,abcde','');
+-------------------------------------+
| count_substrings('a,b,c,abcde', '') |
+-------------------------------------+
|                                   0 |
+-------------------------------------+

mysql [(none)]>select count_substrings(NULL, 'a');
+-----------------------------+
| count_substrings(NULL, 'a') |
+-----------------------------+
|                        NULL |
+-----------------------------+

mysql [(none)]>select count_substrings('','asd');
+-----------------------------+
| count_substrings('', 'asd') |
+-----------------------------+
|                           0 |
+-----------------------------+

mysql [(none)]>select count_substrings('abccbaacb','c');
+------------------------------------+
| count_substrings('abccbaacb', 'c') |
+------------------------------------+
|                                  3 |
+------------------------------------+
```
### keywords

COUNT_SUBSTRINGS,SUBSTRINGS