Avoid partial matches inside larger identifiers.
Section: Regex basics
Match whole words only
bash
bash
rg '\bselect\b' docs/Explanation
Word boundaries are essential when searching SQL, config keys, or language keywords.
Learn the surrounding workflow
Compare similar commands or jump into common fixes when this command is part of a bigger troubleshooting path.
Related commands
Same sheet · prioritizing Regex basics
Use capture groups in patterns
Group pieces of a regex for readability or PCRE2 replacements.
Escape regex metacharacters
Search for a literal dot while staying in regex mode.
Use Unicode-aware classes
Search for letters with Unicode-aware semantics.