By the end of this tutorial, you’ll use Lodash’s _.split() confidently in real JavaScript projects.
_.split(str, sep, limit)
null/undefined handling
Comma-separated rows
Cap segment count
Flexible delimiters
String.split() compare
_.split()?_.split() breaks a string into an array of substrings at each occurrence of a separator. It wraps the familiar native split behavior with Lodash’s predictable edge-case handling.
Use _.split('a,b,c', ',') when you want a guaranteed array even if the source string might be missing—Lodash coerces safely.
_.split(string, separator, [limit])string — The string to split (null/undefined become empty string).separator — String or RegExp delimiter; omit for per-character split.limit — Optional max number of splits (remaining text stays in last element).import split from "lodash/split";
const originalString = "apple,banana,orange";
const fruits = split(originalString, ",");
// -> ["apple", "banana", "orange"]| Task | Code pattern | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Comma list | _.split(s, ',') | ['a','b','c'] |
| With limit | _.split(s, ',', 2) | First 2 splits only |
| Trim tokens | _.map(_.split(s, ','), _.trim) | Clean CSV cells |
| Regex | _.split(s, /\s+/) | Whitespace tokens |
| Lines | _.split(text, '\n') | Row array |
| Native | s.split(',') | Same for valid strings |
NoNew array returned
str|RegExpFlexible delimiters
optionalCap split count
_.trimClean segments
string RequiredSource string to split. null/undefined coerce to empty string.
_.split(csv, ',')separator Required*Delimiter string or RegExp. *Omit for char-by-char split.
',' or /\s+/limit OptionalMaximum number of splits to perform.
_.split(s, ',', 3)return value ArraySegments in order; may include empty strings between delimiters.
['a','b']Practical _.split() patterns with sample output and interactive Try It Yourself labs.
Split simple delimited strings into arrays.
Split a grocery list string into individual fruit names.
const originalString = "apple,banana,orange";
const splitArray = _.split(originalString, ",");
console.log(splitArray);
// -> ["apple", "banana", "orange"]Each comma becomes a split point; segments keep their original casing.
Clean tokens and control split counts.
Parse sloppy comma-separated input with extra spaces.
const messy = "apple, banana, orange";
const trimmed = _.map(_.split(messy, ","), _.trim);
console.log(trimmed);
// -> ["apple", "banana", "orange"]Split first, then _.trim each segment for consistent tokens.
Keep remainder in the last segment when you only need two fields.
const longString = "apple,banana,orange,grape,mango";
const limited = _.split(longString, ",", 3);
console.log(limited);
// -> ["apple", "banana", "orange,grape,mango"]limit stops after N-1 separators; leftover text joins the final element.
Turn one CSV line into an array of cell values.
const row = "John,Doe,30";
const cells = _.split(row, ",");
// -> ["John", "Doe", "30"]Split on multiple operators in an expression.
const expression = "x + y - 10 * z";
const tokens = _.split(expression, /[\s+*\-]/);
// includes empty strings between operatorsWhen native split is enough.
For guaranteed non-null strings, native split is equivalent.
const s = "a|b|c";
console.log(_.split(s, "|"));
console.log(s.split("|"));
// both -> ["a", "b", "c"]Choose _.split when input may be null/undefined or you already use Lodash pipelines.
| Topic | _.split() | String.split() | _.words() |
|---|---|---|---|
| Output | Array of segments | Array of segments | Word tokens only |
| null input | Coerces to '' | Throws on null | Handles via lodash |
| Separator | str / RegExp | str / RegExp | Lodash word rules |
| Best for | Delimited data | Simple known strings | Natural language words |
_.split() Worksnull/undefined become empty string for safe splitting.
Scan for string or RegExp delimiter matches.
Extract substrings between matches into an array.
Stop early if limit is set; merge tail into last item.
_.map(_.split(...), _.trim) for user-entered CSV.limit parameter behaves like native String.split._.split() never changes the source._.split() is a practical Lodash string helper. Use the patterns above in your projects and explore the next method in the series.
_.split() mirrors native String.prototype.split but handles null/undefined inputs safely by coercing to an empty string.
Open the Try It editor and run the examples from this tutorial.
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