Fix "syntax error, unexpected token" in PHP

PHP Parse error:  syntax error, unexpected token "}", expecting ";" in /var/www/html/index.php on line 15

Common causes

• A missing semicolon at the end of the previous statement
• Unbalanced parentheses, brackets or braces
• An unescaped quote inside a string
• Newer syntax on an older PHP version, such as match, enums or readonly on PHP 7.x
• A reserved word such as match, enum or readonly used as a function or constant name after a PHP upgrade
• Code pasted from a website with curly quotes or invisible characters

How to fix it

1. Read the token and expectation. unexpected token "}", expecting ";" means a statement before the } was not ended with a semicolon. The expecting part tells you what PHP needed.
2. Check the line above. Look at the end of the previous line first. Missing semicolons and unclosed parentheses are reported on the next line where PHP finally notices.
3. Lint after each fix. Run php -l file.php. Parse errors stop at the first problem, so repeat until it prints No syntax errors detected.
4. Confirm the PHP version. Run php -v and check the web server's version in phpinfo(). Code using match (8.0), enums (8.1) or readonly classes (8.2) fails with a parse error on older versions; upgrade PHP or use the plugin version made for yours.
5. Retype pasted characters. Replace curly quotes (“ ” ‘ ’) with straight quotes and delete non-breaking spaces. Pasting from blogs or word processors often introduces them.

Typical fix: missing semicolon

<?php
// Broken: Parse error: unexpected token "}", expecting ";"
if ($ok) {
    echo 'Saved'
}

// Fixed
if ($ok) {
    echo 'Saved';
}

How to stop it happening again

• Run php -l or a linter in CI and pre-commit hooks
• Use an editor with PHP syntax checking
• Set the PHP version in composer.json ("php": ">=8.1") so incompatible code fails early
• Test on the same PHP version as production