String.prototype.charAt(index) returns one UTF-16 code unit as a string at a zero-based index. Out of range returns "". It is read-only, widely supported, and never mutates the string.
Pass the required arguments shown below. Check return values and browser support before you rely on the result.
Call string.charAt. Start with this line.
string.charAt(index)| Call | What it does |
|---|---|
string.charAt(index) | Primary signature. |
string.charAt(...) | Call with the arguments your case needs. |
Built into JavaScript. Call charAt(...) on a string (or String instance) — no import required.
string.charAt(index)| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| index | Required. Zero-based position (negatives → "") |
| Empty-string check | Optional. Needed when missing characters matter |
| Return Value | Description |
|---|---|
| * | The value returned by string.charAt(). |
Read the first and fifth characters with charAt(0) and charAt(4).
const text = "Hello";
console.log(text.charAt(0)); // "H"
console.log(text.charAt(4)); // "o""Hello" has indexes 0 … 4.charAt(0) returns "H" — same idea as text[0].charAt(4) lands on "o".charAt only reads.""Missing indexes return an empty string — not undefined.
const text = "Hello";
console.log(JSON.stringify(text.charAt(5))); // ""
console.log(JSON.stringify(text.charAt(-1))); // ""
console.log(text.charAt(text.length - 1)); // "o"5 is outside 0…4 → "".charAt(-1) is also out of range → "".length - 1 is the pre-at() pattern for the last character."", not undefined, when using charAt.charAt() vs at() vs BracketsSame index often matches; negatives and out-of-range results differ.
const text = "Hello";
console.log(text.charAt(1)); // "e"
console.log(text.at(1)); // "e"
console.log(text[1]); // "e"
console.log(JSON.stringify(text.charAt(10))); // ""
console.log(text.at(10)); // undefined
console.log(text[10]); // undefined
console.log(JSON.stringify(text.charAt(-1))); // ""
console.log(text.at(-1)); // "o"charAt(1), at(1), and text[1] all return "e".charAt → ""; at and brackets → undefined.charAt(-1) is ""; at(-1) is the last character.at(-1).String.prototype.charAt() is Baseline Widely available — supported in every modern browser and legacy environments for decades.
Supported in all evergreen browsers, Internet Explorer, and every current Node.js / Deno / Bun release. Safer for old targets than at().
Bottom line: Safe everywhere, including IE. Prefer at(-1) when you need last-character access in modern code; keep charAt when you want "" for missing indexes or must support very old engines.
Learn how to read the UTF-16 numeric code unit at a string index.
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