JavaScript Easy technical 1 views 1 min read

How do you check whether a string contains a substring?

Peer-reviewed by HireXTech Technical Panel Updated for 2025/2026 hiring Editorial standards
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Interviewer Expectations for this Question
01
Core Competency

Assesses fundamental understanding of JavaScript conventions, runtime behavior, and memory/performance considerations.

02
Evaluation Criteria

Hiring managers look for precision, avoidance of ambiguous jargon, and ability to explain trade-offs under real production conditions.

Comprehensive Model Answer Verified Solution

There are 3 possible ways to check whether a string contains a substring or not,

  1. Using includes: ES6 provided String.prototype.includes method to test a string contains a substring
      var mainString = "hello",
        subString = "hell";
      mainString.includes(subString);
      
  1. Using indexOf: In an ES5 or older environment, you can use String.prototype.indexOf which returns the index of a substring. If the index value is not equal to -1 then it means the substring exists in the main string.
      var mainString = "hello",
        subString = "hell";
      mainString.indexOf(subString) !== -1;
      
  1. Using RegEx: The advanced solution is using Regular expression's test method(RegExp.test), which allows for testing for against regular expressions
      var mainString = "hello",
        regex = /hell/;
      regex.test(mainString);
      

Candidate Response Strategy & Interview Tips

  1. Start with a concise one-sentence summary: Deliver a direct, confident answer first before expanding into nuances.
  2. Demonstrate real-world trade-offs: Discuss where this approach excels and when you would avoid it in production systems.
  3. Discuss complexity & edge cases: Proactively explain time/space complexity or boundary conditions (null values, scale limits).
  4. Prepare for interviewer follow-ups: Technical hiring panels frequently probe deeper into concurrency, backward compatibility, or alternative libraries.
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