Remove Prefix from Words

Strip text, patterns, or characters from the beginning of every word.

Configuration

Input Text
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Clean the Clutter: Strip Prefixes from Every Word

When processing social media posts, tagged datasets, or versioned code, word prefixes create noise. Hashtags (#) and mentions (@) that were useful for discovery now clutter plain text analysis. Variable names with test_, old_, or temp_ prefixes need cleaning after refactoring. List numbers (1., 2., 3.) prepended to items become redundant when importing to databases. Manually removing these from hundreds of words is tedious—but automated prefix stripping is instant.

The Remove Prefix from Words tool automates word-beginning cleanup. It offers three powerful removal modes: remove specific strings (like "#" or "@"), use regex patterns for advanced matching (like [#@]+ to strip multiple symbols), or simply delete the first N characters from every word. The tool also includes unwrapping to remove brackets/quotes first, word filtering to skip short words, and trim options to clean leading whitespace—all while processing thousands of words per second in your browser.

Why Remove Prefixes from Words?

  • Social Media Cleanup: Strip hashtags (#) and mentions (@) from posts for text analysis, sentiment scoring, or database imports without tags.
  • Code Refactoring: Remove version prefixes (test_, old_, v1_) from variable names after code cleanup or database schema migrations.
  • Data Preparation: Clean list markers (1., A., -, >), category tags, or identifier prefixes from word lists for CSV imports or analytics processing.
  • Text Normalization: Strip formatting symbols, currency indicators, or special markers from words to create clean, standardized text datasets.

Common Use Cases

Social Media Analysis

Remove hashtags (#) and mentions (@) from Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn posts before sentiment analysis, keyword extraction, or topic modeling. Essential for NLP pipelines that need clean text without social media formatting.

Post-Refactoring Cleanup

Strip temporary prefixes (test_, old_, backup_) from variable, function, and class names after code refactoring. Clean database column names that were marked with version indicators during schema migrations.

List Processing

Remove numbered prefixes (1., 2., A., B.) from list items before importing to databases or spreadsheets. Clean bullet markers (-, >, *) from markdown-formatted lists for plain text processing.

SEO Data Cleaning

Strip platform-specific tags and markers from keyword lists exported from social media analytics, SEO tools, or content management systems before analysis or reporting.

See it in action

Before
#javascript #coding @developer tutorial
After (Removed "#" and "@")
javascript coding developer tutorial

Professional Features

Precise Text Removal

Target exact strings to remove. Only words starting with your text will be modified.

Regex Support

Advanced users can use Regular Expressions to match complex patterns like list numbers or multiple symbols.

Count Removal

Don't know the exact text? Simply delete the first N characters from every word.

Smart Unwrapping

Remove surrounding brackets `[word]` or quotes `"word"` first, then apply your main prefix removal.

Word Filtering

Skip short words (articles, prepositions) by setting minimum word length. Protect small words from modification.

Private & Secure

0% Server usage. The tool runs entirely in your browser memory for maximum data privacy.

How to use this tool

1

Input Content

Paste your text with prefixed words or upload a file.

2

Choose Mode

Select "Specific Text", "Regex Pattern", or "First N Chars".

3

Set Target

Enter the text, pattern, or number of characters to remove.

4

Copy Result

Copy the clean text to clipboard or download as a file.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I remove hashtags from social media text?
Use **Specific Text** mode and enter "#" as the text to remove. The tool will instantly strip the hashtag symbol from the beginning of every word that starts with it, converting "#coding #javascript" to "coding javascript".
Can I use Regular Expressions (Regex)?
Yes! Switch to **Regex Pattern** mode. For example, use `[#@]+` to remove both hashtags and @ symbols, or `^[0-9]+\.` to remove numbered list prefixes like "1.", "2.", etc.
How do I remove the first 2 characters from every word?
Select the **First N Chars** mode and enter "2" in the input field. The tool will delete the first 2 characters from each word instantly.
What is the "Unwrap First" option?
Unwrap removes surrounding delimiters before prefix removal. If words are wrapped like `[#word]` or `"@mention"`, unwrap removes the brackets/quotes first, then applies your main prefix removal. Perfect for cleaning formatted or quoted data.
Can I skip short words?
Yes! Enable **Skip Short Words** and set a minimum word length. Words shorter than this will be left untouched, useful for preserving articles (a, is, to) while cleaning longer words.
What happens to words without the prefix?
Words that don't start with the specified prefix remain completely unchanged. Only matching words are modified, ensuring safe, targeted cleaning.
Can I upload files?
Yes, click **Upload** to load .txt, .md, .csv, or .json files directly. The tool will process the file content and you can download the cleaned result with one click.
Is my data secure?
Completely. All text processing happens entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your content never leaves your device and isn't sent to any server.
Can I remove @ mentions from Twitter text?
Yes. In "Specific Text" mode, enter "@" as the prefix. The tool will strip the @ symbol from mentions like "@username", leaving just "username".
Is this tool free?
Yes, FreeTools Pro provides this utility 100% free forever, with no ads or signup required.