Common WordPress Syntax Errors and How to Solve Them

Have you ever encountered a WordPress error that just won’t go away no matter what you try? You’re not alone. While WordPress is one of the most popular and user-friendly platforms for building websites, it’s not immune to technical hiccups—especially syntax errors. These types of errors can be particularly frustrating, often appearing without warning and breaking the layout or functionality of your site.

As a trusted WordPress development company in Ernakulam, we’ve seen how common and disruptive these issues can be. Syntax errors typically occur when there’s a problem with the PHP code that runs your website—such as a missing semicolon, an improperly closed bracket, or an incorrectly used function or variable. Even a small mistake can prevent your website from loading properly, leaving both you and your visitors staring at a blank screen or a scary-looking error message.

In this blog post, we’ll guide you through the most common WordPress syntax errors, explain why they happen, and show you how to fix them efficiently—whether you’re a beginner or an experienced developer. Our goal is to help you keep your website running smoothly and avoid downtime that could affect your traffic and credibility.

How to Fix the Syntax Error in WordPress

There are many WordPress guides that ask you to add pieces of code to your website. Sadly, even a tiny mistake can make your whole site stop working, which can be really frightening, especially for beginners. If you’re experimenting with something new on your WordPress site and you see the error message “Syntax error, unexpected…”, don’t worry.

Using Proper Syntax to Avoid Errors

The first step is to check out the beginner’s guide on how to add code snippets from the internet to your WordPress site. This guide points out some common mistakes that new users often make when adding code to WordPress templates.

The syntax error usually happens because of a small, but important, mistake in how your code is written.

For instance, it could be something as small as forgetting a comma or adding an extra curly bracket that messes up the whole script.

Have you recently copied and pasted some code from the internet or updated a plugin? If so, you probably have an idea of where to check for the problem.

Fixing the Syntax Error Using FTP

To resolve the syntax error, you must make changes to the code that triggered the error. You can either delete it or correct the coding mistake.

Many beginners get worried because this error makes their whole site unreachable. If you added the code through your WordPress dashboard in the Appearance » Editor section and got locked out, you can find guidance on what to do in our article about handling being locked out of the WordPress admin.

So how do you edit the code?

The only way to solve this is by accessing the file you recently edited using FTP. You can find step-by-step instructions in our FTP guide.

Once you’ve set up the FTP program, connect it to your website and go to the theme file that needs editing. If you’re not sure which file to edit, just look at the error message. The error will tell you exactly which file and line to fix.

You can either delete the code you added or correct the code to make it right. After you’ve made the changes, save the file and upload it back to your server.

Then, go to your WordPress site, refresh the page, and your site should be working correctly again.

Determining the Corrupted File

First, let’s figure out where the problem is coming from.

If you see the error right after you’ve added new plugins or themes, there’s a good chance they’re causing the issue.

Alternatively, you can find clues about the problem in the error message itself. The error message tells you which file is having trouble and even points out the specific line of code that’s causing the problem.

Let’s use the example of this syntax error message to understand:

We can see that the problem is on the 73rd line of the index.php file. So, to resolve the syntax error, you should edit this specific file.

Pro Tip

If your website is just showing a blank white page with no error message, you can make the error message appear by turning on the debug function or enabling the display_errors feature. You can do this by going to hPanel -> PHP Configurations -> PHP Options. After doing this, you’ll see the error message when you refresh your website.

Fixing the File from the File Manager

Now that you’ve identified what’s causing the syntax error, it’s time to repair it:

1. Go to hPanel’s File Manager and find the folder where the problematic file is located. In this situation, you can find the folder by going to public_html -> wp-content -> themes -> twentyseventeen.
2. Double-click on the file that’s causing the problem and find the line of code that’s causing the issue. In the example mentioned earlier, we would open the index.php file and edit the 72nd line.

We can notice that something crucial is missing – a semicolon to finish the ‘get_footer’ function.

Pro Tip

If you’re new to PHP, try using a PHP code checker. It can identify the most common PHP syntax mistakes and help you find and correct the error.

3. Place the semicolon on the 72nd line.

<?php

get_footer();

4. Click ‘Save & Close’ and then refresh your website.

Sometimes, you can fix syntax errors by deleting the line causing the problem. For example, if there’s a comment missing escape characters and it’s being treated as code, removing that line can solve the error.

But be cautious when deleting lines, as it could lead to new issues. If a line is responsible for calculating a variable’s value, you shouldn’t delete it because it’s needed in later parts of the code.

How We Can Support You? 

With our roots firmly in Kakkanadu, Ernakulam (Kochi) and over 12 years of experience, we have emerged as a leading Mobile App Development Company in the IT industry, providing advanced and reliable services. Whether initiating a new project, seeking assistance with existing systems, or requiring expert IT consultation, we’re your dedicated collaborators in achieving success. Our services extend beyond development; we are your partners in progress, offering tailored solutions for Website Development, Software Development, and Mobile App Development. Contact us to harness technology’s potential and reach greater heights in your digital journey.