Count number of matches of a pattern

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created 2005 · complexity basic · author Marc Weber · version 5.7

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To count the number of matches of a pattern, you could enter a substitute command such as

:%s/pattern/foo/g

After viewing the count in the status line, press u to undo the change.

However, in recent versions of Vim, there is a better procedure. The following will display the count, but will not change the buffer.

:%s/pattern//gn

Similarly you can display the number of lines the pattern matches by omitting the g.

:%s/pattern//n

In newer versions of VIM, if you want to know the amount of matches of some lines, you may use the substitute command without the % such as:

:%s/pattern//gn

or

'<'>s/pattern//gn