<?php function format($format, $value, $separator=' ') { $temp=[]; foreach ($format as $cluster){ $formattedCluster=substr($value,0,strlen($cluster)); $value=substr($value,strlen($cluster)); array_push($temp, $formattedCluster); } return join($separator, $temp); } var_dump(format(['xx', 'xxx', 'xxx','xxx','xx'], '6282222222222'));