How do you check whether a string contains a substring?
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,
- Using includes: ES6 provided
String.prototype.includesmethod to test a string contains a substring
var mainString = "hello",
subString = "hell";
mainString.includes(subString);
- Using indexOf: In an ES5 or older environment, you can use
String.prototype.indexOfwhich 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;
- 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
- Start with a concise one-sentence summary: Deliver a direct, confident answer first before expanding into nuances.
- Demonstrate real-world trade-offs: Discuss where this approach excels and when you would avoid it in production systems.
- Discuss complexity & edge cases: Proactively explain time/space complexity or boundary conditions (null values, scale limits).
- Prepare for interviewer follow-ups: Technical hiring panels frequently probe deeper into concurrency, backward compatibility, or alternative libraries.