How to Multiply Strings in Ruby: Syntax and Examples

In Ruby, you multiply a string by an integer using the * operator, like string * number. This repeats the string the specified number of times, producing a new string.

Syntax

The syntax to multiply a string in Ruby is simple: use the * operator between a string and an integer.

• string: The text you want to repeat.
• *: The multiplication operator for strings.
• number: How many times to repeat the string (must be a non-negative integer).

ruby

result = "hello" * 3
puts result

Output

hellohellohello

Example

This example shows how to multiply the string "abc" by 4, which repeats "abc" four times in a row.

ruby

word = "abc"
repeated = word * 4
puts repeated

Output

abcabcabcabc

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes include multiplying a string by a non-integer or negative number, which will cause errors or unexpected results.

Also, multiplying by zero returns an empty string.

ruby

begin
  puts "test" * -1
rescue ArgumentError => e
  puts "Error: #{e.message}"
end

puts "test" * 0

Output

Error: negative argument

Quick Reference

Operation	Description	Example	Result
Multiply string by positive integer	Repeats the string that many times	"hi" * 3	"hihihi"
Multiply string by zero	Returns an empty string	"hi" * 0	""
Multiply string by negative integer	Raises an error	"hi" * -1	ArgumentError

Key Takeaways

Use the * operator to multiply a string by a non-negative integer in Ruby.

Multiplying by zero returns an empty string.

Multiplying by a negative number raises an ArgumentError.

The result is a new string with the original repeated the specified times.