VAR='[[:alpha:]]' [[ $VAR =~ '[[:alpha:]]' ]] && echo match 1 [[ a =~ '[[:alpha:]]' ]] || echo match 2 [[ a =~ [[:alpha:]] ]] && echo match 3 [[ a =~ $VAR ]] && echo match 4 [[ a =~ "$VAR" ]] || echo match 5 line=aab [[ $line =~ [[:space:]]*(a)?b ]] && echo match 6 V="alphabet" [[ $V == alphabet ]] && echo yes 1 [[ $V == "alphabet" ]] && echo yes 2 [[ $V == 'alphabet' ]] && echo yes 3 [[ $V =~ alphabet ]] && echo yes 4 [[ $V =~ "alphabet" ]] && echo yes 5 [[ $V =~ 'alphabet' ]] && echo yes 6 DOG="Dog name - 01 - Wiggles" REPAT='([[:alpha:][:blank:]]*)- ([[:digit:]]*) - (.*)$' if [[ $DOG =~ ([[:alpha:][:blank:]]*)-\ ([[:digit:]]*)\ -\ (.*)$ ]] then echo Dog ${BASH_REMATCH[2]} is ${BASH_REMATCH[3]} fi if [[ $DOG =~ $REPAT ]] then echo Dog ${BASH_REMATCH[2]} is ${BASH_REMATCH[3]} fi [[ $REPAT =~ "$REPAT" ]] && echo rematch 1 v="one two buckle my shoe" [[ ${v} =~ "one two" ]] && echo matches 7 [[ ${v} =~ (one two) ]] && echo matches 8 [[ ${v} =~ one\ two ]] && echo matches 9