PHP string{0} vs. string[0];

In PHP, you can access individual characters in a string using two syntaxes: $string{0} and $string[0]. However, the curly brace syntax {} has been deprecated since PHP 7.4 and removed in PHP 8.0.

Deprecated Syntax vs. Current Syntax

The following example demonstrates both approaches −

<?php
$string = 'medium';

// Deprecated syntax (avoid this)
echo $string{0};
echo "<br>";

// Current syntax (recommended)
echo $string[0];
?>

The output of the above code is −

m
m

Why Use Square Brackets

Square brackets [] are now the standard way to access string characters because they provide consistent syntax with array indexing. This makes PHP code more uniform and easier to read.

<?php
$text = "Hello World";

// Access first character
echo $text[0];  // H
echo "<br>";

// Access last character  
echo $text[strlen($text) - 1];  // d
echo "<br>";

// Access middle character
echo $text[6];  // W
?>

The output of the above code is −

H
d
W

Conclusion

Always use square brackets [] for string character access in modern PHP. The curly brace syntax {} is deprecated and will cause errors in PHP 8.0+.