/blog/ · field notes from the hunt

Regex golf on the Regex Hunter Blog

Shortening tricks from the Regex Hunter blog: how to trim a working pattern down to the fewest characters, with worked examples you can try live.

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Showing 1–2 of 2 posts · 16 total

/j|bu|oo/

jeffersonbuchananhoover·fremontdeweygore

Regex golf

How xkcd's regex golf comic started a puzzle genre, how Peter Norvig solved it, and where to play a new regex golf puzzle every day.

Regex Hunter30 Sept 2026

/^c.*t/

cartchartcoat·scatcrab

Regex golf

Seven techniques for writing the shortest regex that catches every target and spares the rest — with live boards you can solve right in the article.

Regex Hunter30 Sept 2026

Today’s board is live

Read the trick. Now go hunt.

Match every monster, spare every innocent — in as few characters as you can.