Difference Between StringTokenizer and Split Method in Java

20 June 2025

0

Legacy classes and interfaces are the classes and interfaces that formed the Collection Framework in the earlier versions of Java and how now been restructured or re-engineered. Splitting of String is basically breaking the string around matches of the given regular expression.

Strings can be split in many ways in java but the 2 most common ways are using :

StringTokenizer()
split() method

The split() method is preferred and recommended even though it is comparatively slower than StringTokenizer.This is because it is more robust and easier to use than StringTokenizer.

1. String Tokenizer

A token is returned by taking a substring of the string that was used to create the StringTokenizer object. A StringTokenizer object internally maintains a current position within the string to be tokenized.

It has 3 constructors :

StringTokenizer(String str)
StringTokenizer(String str, String delimiter)
StringTokenizer(String str, String delim, boolean flag)

Here,

str: string to tokenized
delimiter:delimiters to tokenize string(+,/ etc)
flag: decides whether to consider delimiter as tokens(True/False)

Java

// Java program to demonstrate working of StringTokenizer()
 
import java.util.*;
 
class GFG {
    public static void main(String[] args)
    {
        String str = "This  is  geek";
        StringTokenizer st = new StringTokenizer(str, " ");
 
        // counting tokens
        System.out.println("Total tokens : "
                           + st.countTokens());
 
        // checking tokens
        for (int i = 0; st.hasMoreTokens(); i++)
            System.out.println("#" + i + ": "
                               + st.nextToken());
    }
}

Output

Total tokens : 3
#0: This
#1: is
#2: geek

2. Split() String method

The string split() method breaks a given string around matches of the given regular expression.

There are 2 variants of the split() method in Java:

String class method

public String [ ] split ( String regex, int limit )

Here,
split(): method to split stri
regex:a delimiting regular expression
limit:the result threshold

Using java.util.regex package

public String[] split(String regex) 

Here,
split(): method to split string
regex:a delimiting regular expression
limit: default is 0

Java

// Java program to demonstrate split()
 
import java.util.*;
 
class GFG {
    public static void main(String[] args)
    {
        String str = " This  is  geek";
        String[] split = str.split(" ");
       
        for (int i = 0; i < split.length; i++)
            System.out.println("#" + i + ": " + split[i]);
    }
}

Output

#0: 
#1: This
#2: 
#3: is
#4: 
#5: geek