HTML pattern Attribute

Definition and Usage

The pattern attribute specifies a regular expression that the <input> element's value is checked against.

Note: The pattern attribute works with the following input types: text, date, search, url, tel, email, and password.

Tip: Use the global title attribute to describe the pattern to help the user.

Tip: Learn more about regular expressions in our JavaScript tutorial.

Applies to

The pattern attribute can be used on the following element:

Element	Attribute
<input>	pattern

Examples

Input Example

An HTML form with an input field that can contain only three letters (no numbers or special characters):

<form action="/action_page.php">
Country code: <input type="text" name="country_code"
pattern="[A-Za-z]{3}" title="Three letter country code">
<input type="submit">
</form>

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Password Example

An <input> element with type="password" that must contain 6 or more characters:

<form action="/action_page.php">
Password: <input type="password" name="pw" pattern=".{6,}" title="Six or more characters">
<input type="submit">
</form>

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Password Example

An <input> element with type="password" that must contain 8 or more characters that are of at least one number, and one uppercase and lowercase letter:

<form action="/action_page.php">
Password: <input type="password" name="pw" pattern="(?=.*\d)(?=.*[a-z])(?=.*[A-Z]).{8,}" title="Must contain at least one number and one uppercase and lowercase letter, and at least 8 or more characters">
<input type="submit">
</form>

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