WordPress Syntax Error

WordPress Syntax Error

The syntax error is one of the most common WordPress errors of all time ( parse error syntax error unexpected ). If you are seeing a WordPress syntax error on your website it is more than likely caused by changes you recently made to your WordPress installation or perhaps a bad plugin or theme that you just installed. 

How to debug WordPress syntax error and find the issue?

ATTENTION: ALWAYS DO A BACKUP OF YOUR SITE BEFORE DOING ANY CHANGE.

To debug a WordPress syntax error you will need to edit your WP-CONFIG.PHP file and add the following line of code:

define('WP_DEBUG', true);

Add the line at any blank space anywhere in the file. After you have added this line you should be able to refresh your website and see more details regarding your error. Adding WP_DEBUG and setting it to true basically tells WordPress to show you more technical details of why you are having trouble. Attention: You should never keep this setting enabled on a live website because it allows malicious users to gain more information about potential issues with your website.

If you are still having issues you may need to contact the support team of your hosting provider to see if they can help you or use the WordPress forums to see if someone may be able to help there.

How do I fix the WordPress syntax error?

The easiest way to fix this issue if you recently installed a plugin is to simply deactivate the plugin. If you lack access to the WordPress admin area you can deactivate the plugin by removing its folder under /wp-content/plugins/PLUGIN-NAME/. Always make sure to do a backup before editing files. You can use an FTP client like FileZilla to access the files to your website. If this does not solve your error continue on to the next section to see more solutions to solving this issue.