"syntax error, unexpected token" in PHP — What It Means and How to Fix It

What the PHP error "syntax error, unexpected token" means and how to fix it.

Published October 31, 2026

"syntax error, unexpected token" PHP's parser encountered a token it didn't expect while reading the code, indicating malformed syntax.

Key points

  • The error location often points slightly after the actual mistake — check the line above the reported one too, like a missing semicolon
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