<?php function hashtag($text) { $text = preg_replace('/(?<!\S\W\w)#([0-9a-zA-Z]+)/', '<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/$1?src=hash" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">#$1</a>', $text); return preg_replace('/(?<!\S\W\w)@([0-9a-zA-Z]+)/', '<a href="https://twitter.com/$1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">@$1</a>', $text); } /* using */ $text = "Journalist @NYT - open source supporter • Web developer & Graphic designer | #freelancer #coder #news"; echo hashtag($text);