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SyntaxError: invalid regexp group - JavaScript | MDN
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SyntaxError: invalid regexp group

The JavaScript exception "invalid regexp group" occurs when the sequence (? does not start a valid group syntax. Recognized group syntaxes that start with (? include:

(? followed by any other character would cause this error.

In this article

Message

SyntaxError: Invalid regular expression: /(?1)/: Invalid group (V8-based)
SyntaxError: invalid regexp group (Firefox)
SyntaxError: Invalid regular expression: unrecognized character after (? (Safari)

Error type

SyntaxError

What went wrong?

? is not an atom, so it does not make sense to appear at the start of a capturing group (? is a quantifier and should be placed after an atom). Maybe you want to match the ? character literally, in which case you should escape it with a backslash (\?). Maybe you remembered the regex syntax wrong, and you intend to use one of the recognized group syntaxes listed above. Maybe you are using a feature that is not supported by the current JavaScript engine.

Examples

Invalid cases

js
/Hello(?|!)/;
// This is Perl syntax
/(?[\p{Thai}&\p{Digit}])/;

Valid cases

js
/Hello(\?|!)/;
// This is JavaScript syntax for character set operations
/[\p{Thai}&&\p{Digit}]/v;

See also

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    30. SyntaxError: cannot use ?? unparenthesized within || and && expressions
    31. SyntaxError: character class escape cannot be used in class range in regular expression
    32. SyntaxError: continue must be inside loop
    33. SyntaxError: duplicate capture group name in regular expression
    34. SyntaxError: duplicate formal argument x
    35. SyntaxError: for-in loop head declarations may not have initializers
    36. SyntaxError: function statement requires a name
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    39. SyntaxError: getter functions must have no arguments
    40. SyntaxError: identifier starts immediately after numeric literal
    41. SyntaxError: illegal character
    42. SyntaxError: import declarations may only appear at top level of a module
    43. SyntaxError: incomplete quantifier in regular expression
    44. SyntaxError: invalid assignment left-hand side
    45. SyntaxError: invalid BigInt syntax
    46. SyntaxError: invalid capture group name in regular expression
    47. SyntaxError: invalid character in class in regular expression
    48. SyntaxError: invalid class set operation in regular expression
    49. SyntaxError: invalid decimal escape in regular expression
    50. SyntaxError: invalid identity escape in regular expression
    51. SyntaxError: invalid named capture reference in regular expression
    52. SyntaxError: invalid property name in regular expression
    53. SyntaxError: invalid range in character class
    54. SyntaxError: invalid regexp group
    55. SyntaxError: invalid regular expression flag "x"
    56. SyntaxError: invalid unicode escape in regular expression
    57. SyntaxError: JSON.parse: bad parsing
    58. SyntaxError: label not found
    59. SyntaxError: missing : after property id
    60. SyntaxError: missing ) after argument list
    61. SyntaxError: missing ) after condition
    62. SyntaxError: missing ] after element list
    63. SyntaxError: missing } after function body
    64. SyntaxError: missing } after property list
    65. SyntaxError: missing = in const declaration
    66. SyntaxError: missing formal parameter
    67. SyntaxError: missing name after . operator
    68. SyntaxError: missing variable name
    69. SyntaxError: negated character class with strings in regular expression
    70. SyntaxError: new keyword cannot be used with an optional chain
    71. SyntaxError: nothing to repeat
    72. SyntaxError: numbers out of order in {} quantifier.
    73. SyntaxError: octal escape sequences can't be used in untagged template literals or in strict mode code
    74. SyntaxError: parameter after rest parameter
    75. SyntaxError: private fields can't be deleted
    76. SyntaxError: property name __proto__ appears more than once in object literal
    77. SyntaxError: raw bracket is not allowed in regular expression with unicode flag
    78. SyntaxError: redeclaration of formal parameter "x"
    79. SyntaxError: reference to undeclared private field or method #x
    80. SyntaxError: rest parameter may not have a default
    81. SyntaxError: return not in function
    82. SyntaxError: setter functions must have one argument
    83. SyntaxError: string literal contains an unescaped line break
    84. SyntaxError: super() is only valid in derived class constructors
    85. SyntaxError: tagged template cannot be used with optional chain
    86. SyntaxError: Unexpected '#' used outside of class body
    87. SyntaxError: Unexpected token
    88. SyntaxError: unlabeled break must be inside loop or switch
    89. SyntaxError: unparenthesized unary expression can't appear on the left-hand side of '**'
    90. SyntaxError: use of super property/member accesses only valid within methods or eval code within methods
    91. SyntaxError: Using //@ to indicate sourceURL pragmas is deprecated. Use //# instead
    92. TypeError: 'caller', 'callee', and 'arguments' properties may not be accessed
    93. TypeError: 'x' is not iterable
    94. TypeError: "x" is (not) "y"
    95. TypeError: "x" is not a constructor
    96. TypeError: "x" is not a function
    97. TypeError: "x" is not a non-null object
    98. TypeError: "x" is read-only
    99. TypeError: already executing generator
    100. TypeError: BigInt value can't be serialized in JSON
    101. TypeError: calling a builtin X constructor without new is forbidden
    102. TypeError: can't access/set private field or method: object is not the right class
    103. TypeError: can't assign to property "x" on "y": not an object
    104. TypeError: can't convert BigInt to number
    105. TypeError: can't convert x to BigInt
    106. TypeError: can't define property "x": "obj" is not extensible
    107. TypeError: can't delete non-configurable array element
    108. TypeError: can't redefine non-configurable property "x"
    109. TypeError: can't set prototype of this object
    110. TypeError: can't set prototype: it would cause a prototype chain cycle
    111. TypeError: cannot use 'in' operator to search for 'x' in 'y'
    112. TypeError: class constructors must be invoked with 'new'
    113. TypeError: cyclic object value
    114. TypeError: derived class constructor returned invalid value x
    115. TypeError: getting private setter-only property
    116. TypeError: Initializing an object twice is an error with private fields/methods
    117. TypeError: invalid 'instanceof' operand 'x'
    118. TypeError: invalid Array.prototype.sort argument
    119. TypeError: invalid assignment to const "x"
    120. TypeError: Iterator/AsyncIterator constructor can't be used directly
    121. TypeError: matchAll/replaceAll must be called with a global RegExp
    122. TypeError: More arguments needed
    123. TypeError: null/undefined has no properties
    124. TypeError: property "x" is non-configurable and can't be deleted
    125. TypeError: Reduce of empty array with no initial value
    126. TypeError: setting getter-only property "x"
    127. TypeError: WeakSet key/WeakMap value 'x' must be an object or an unregistered symbol
    128. TypeError: X.prototype.y called on incompatible type
    129. URIError: malformed URI sequence
    130. Warning: -file- is being assigned a //# sourceMappingURL, but already has one
    131. Warning: unreachable code after return statement
  14. Misc
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