Abbreviated Month Name (English) Regex for PHP
/^(?:(0?[1-9]|[12][0-9]|3[01])[\-\s](Jan|Feb|Mar|Apr|May|Jun|Jul|Aug|Sep|Oct|Nov|Dec)[\-\s]((?:19|20)[0-9]{2})|(Jan|Feb|Mar|Apr|May|Jun|Jul|Aug|Sep|Oct|Nov|Dec)\s+(0?[1-9]|[12][0-9]|3[01]),?\s+((?:19|20)[0-9]{2}))$/iWhat this pattern does
This page provides a comprehensive, battle-tested regular expression for matching abbreviated month name (english), ported and verified for PHP. A rigorously tested regex reduces debugging time and protects your application from edge-case failures. The snippet below is ready to drop into your PHP project — whether you're validating in a Laravel validator, a WordPress plugin, or a standalone PHP script.
Php Implementation
<?php
// Abbreviated Month Name (English)
// ReDoS-safe | RegexVault — Localization > Date Formats
define('ABBREVIATED_MONTH_NAME_ENGLISH_PATTERN', '/^(?:(0?[1-9]|[12][0-9]|3[01])[\-\s](Jan|Feb|Mar|Apr|May|Jun|Jul|Aug|Sep|Oct|Nov|Dec)[\-\s]((?:19|20)[0-9]{2})|(Jan|Feb|Mar|Apr|May|Jun|Jul|Aug|Sep|Oct|Nov|Dec)\s+(0?[1-9]|[12][0-9]|3[01]),?\s+((?:19|20)[0-9]{2}))$/');
function validate_abbreviated_month_name_english(string $input): bool {
return (bool) preg_match(ABBREVIATED_MONTH_NAME_ENGLISH_PATTERN, $input);
}
// Example
var_dump(validate_abbreviated_month_name_english("15-Jan-2024")); // bool(true)Test Cases
Matches (Valid) | Rejects (Invalid) |
|---|---|
15-Jan-2024 | 15-January-2024 |
15 Jan 2024 | Jan-15-2024 |
Jan 15 2024 | 15-JAN-24 |
Jan 15, 2024 | Jan 15 24 |
31-Dec-1999 | — |
When to use this pattern
This pattern is drawn from the Localization > Date Formats category and carries a ReDoS-safe certification. That matters for PHP developers because especially relevant in PHP where PCRE backtracking limits can trigger silent failures on malicious input. RegexVault audits patterns against known backtracking attack vectors, ensuring you have the necessary context before using this regex in a high-stakes production environment.
Common Pitfalls
Oracle and some databases use uppercase abbreviated months internally (15-JAN-2024). Apply case-insensitive matching or normalize before comparison.
Technical Notes
DD-Mon-YYYY is common in Oracle databases and UK bank statements. Mon DD, YYYY is common in American printed documents. The month abbreviation is always 3 letters.
Have a pattern that belongs in the vault?
Submit it for review — community-verified patterns get credited to your GitHub handle. Free submissions join the queue. Priority review available for $15.
Submit a Pattern