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How to check a key exists in an array in PHP ?

Last Updated : 15 Jul, 2025

We have given an array arr and a Key key, the task is to check if a key exists in an array or not in PHP.

Examples:

Input : arr = ["Geek1", "Geek2", "1", "2","3"] 
key = "2"
Output : Found the Key

Input : arr = ["Geek1", "Geek2", "1", "2","3"]
key = 9
Output : Key not Found

The problem can be solved using PHP inbuilt function for checking key exists in a given array. The in-built function used for the given problem are:

Method 1: Using array_key_exists() Method:

The array_key_exists() function checks whether a specific key or index is present inside an array or not.

Syntax:

boolean array_key_exists( $index, $array )

Example:


Output
Found the Key

Method 2: Using isset() Method:

The isset() function checks whether a specific key or index is present inside an array or not.

Syntax:

bool isset( mixed $var, mixed $... )

Output
Found the Key 

Method 3: Using the array_search function:

The array_search function is used to search for a given value in an array and return the corresponding key if the value is found. If the value is not found, it returns false.

Syntax:

bool = array_search($search_value, $array);

Output
Found the key

Method 4: Using array_keys

Using array_keys to check if a key exists involves getting all the keys of the array with array_keys and then using in_array to determine if the specific key is present

Example


Output
Key 'age' exists in the array.

Using array_key_exists() with array_flip()

This approach involves flipping the array's keys and values using array_flip(), then using array_key_exists() to check if the key exists in the flipped array.

Example:


Output
Found the Key

Using in_array Function Directly

The in_array function checks if a specific value exists in an array, returning true if found and false otherwise. It's used for value existence checks, not for keys.

Example


Output
Found the Key


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