re.match() in Python

Last Updated : 13 Aug, 2026

The re.match() method in Python is used to check whether a regular expression pattern matches the beginning of a string. It returns a match object when the pattern matches at the start of the string; otherwise, it returns None.

Python 
import re

s = "Hello, World!"
match = re.match("Hello", s)
if match:
    print("Pattern found!")
else:
    print("Pattern not found.")

Output
Pattern found!

Syntax

re.match(pattern, string, flags=0)

Parameters:

  • pattern: Regular expression pattern to be matched.
  • string: String in which the pattern is checked.
  • flags: Optional flags that modify the matching behavior, such as re.IGNORECASE.

Return Value:

  • Returns a match object if the pattern matches at the beginning of the string.
  • Returns None if no match is found.

Using re.match with Regular Expressions

Regular expressions can be used with re.match() to check more complex patterns, such as whether a string starts with a number.

Python 
import re

s = "123abc"

match = re.match(r"\d", s)
if match:
    print("Starts with a number.")
else:
    print("Doesn't start with a number.")

Output
Starts with a number.

Explanation:

  • r"\d" represents a digit pattern.
  • re.match() checks the pattern at the beginning of s.
  • Since "123abc" starts with a digit, a match is found.

Accessing Match Object

When re.match() finds a match, it returns a match object. Methods such as group() can be used to access the matched text.

Python 
import re

s = "Python is great"
match = re.match(r"Python", s)
if match:
    print(f"Match found: {match.group()}")
else:
    print("No match.")

Output
Match found: Python

Explanation:

  • re.match() checks whether "Python" occurs at the beginning of the string.
  • match stores the returned match object.
  • group() returns the matched text.
  • If no match is found, match contains None.

Using flags

The flags parameter can modify how the pattern is matched. For example, re.IGNORECASE makes the matching case-insensitive.

Python 
import re

s = "Python is great"

match = re.match("python", s, re.IGNORECASE)
if match:
    print("Match found")
else:
    print("No match")

Output
Match found

Explanation:

  • "python" is matched against the beginning of the string.
  • re.IGNORECASE ignores differences between uppercase and lowercase letters.
  • Therefore, "python" matches "Python".

Note: re.match() checks only the beginning of the string. To search for a pattern anywhere in the string, use re.search().

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