{
"content": [
{
"type": "text",
"text": "# tr (man)\n\n## NAME\n\ntr - translate or delete characters\n\n## SYNOPSIS\n\ntr [OPTION]... SET1 [SET2]\n\n## DESCRIPTION\n\nTranslate, squeeze, and/or delete characters from standard input, writing to standard output.\n\n## TLDR\n\n> Translate characters: run replacements based on single characters and character sets.\n\n- Replace all occurrences of a character in a file, and print the result:\n `tr < {{path/to/file}} {{find_character}} {{replace_character}}`\n- Replace all occurrences of a character from another command's output:\n `echo {{text}} | tr {{find_character}} {{replace_character}}`\n- Map each character of the first set to the corresponding character of the second set:\n `tr < {{path/to/file}} '{{abcd}}' '{{jkmn}}'`\n- Delete all occurrences of the specified set of characters from the input:\n `tr < {{path/to/file}} {{-d|--delete}} '{{input_characters}}'`\n- Compress a series of identical characters to a single character:\n `tr < {{path/to/file}} {{-s|--squeeze-repeats}} '{{input_characters}}'`\n- Translate the contents of a file to upper-case:\n `tr < {{path/to/file}} \"[:lower:]\" \"[:upper:]\"`\n- Strip out non-printable characters from a file:\n `tr < {{path/to/file}} {{-cd|--complement --delete}} \"[:print:]\"`\n\n*Source: tldr-pages*\n\n## Sections\n\n- **NAME**\n- **SYNOPSIS**\n- **DESCRIPTION** (5 subsections)\n- **AUTHOR**\n- **REPORTING BUGS**\n- **COPYRIGHT**\n- **SEE ALSO**\n\nUse structuredContent.sections for detailed options, examples, and full documentation.\n"
}
],
"structuredContent": {
"command": "tr",
"section": "",
"mode": "man",
"summary": "tr - translate or delete characters",
"synopsis": "tr [OPTION]... SET1 [SET2]",
"tldr_summary": "Translate characters: run replacements based on single characters and character sets.",
"tldr_examples": [
{
"description": "Replace all occurrences of a character in a file, and print the result",
"command": "tr < {{path/to/file}} {{find_character}} {{replace_character}}"
},
{
"description": "Replace all occurrences of a character from another command's output",
"command": "echo {{text}} | tr {{find_character}} {{replace_character}}"
},
{
"description": "Map each character of the first set to the corresponding character of the second set",
"command": "tr < {{path/to/file}} '{{abcd}}' '{{jkmn}}'"
},
{
"description": "Delete all occurrences of the specified set of characters from the input",
"command": "tr < {{path/to/file}} {{-d|--delete}} '{{input_characters}}'"
},
{
"description": "Compress a series of identical characters to a single character",
"command": "tr < {{path/to/file}} {{-s|--squeeze-repeats}} '{{input_characters}}'"
},
{
"description": "Translate the contents of a file to upper-case",
"command": "tr < {{path/to/file}} \"[:lower:]\" \"[:upper:]\""
},
{
"description": "Strip out non-printable characters from a file",
"command": "tr < {{path/to/file}} {{-cd|--complement --delete}} \"[:print:]\""
}
],
"tldr_source": "official",
"flags": [
{
"flag": "-C",
"long": "--complement",
"arg": null,
"description": "use the complement of SET1"
},
{
"flag": "-d",
"long": "--delete",
"arg": null,
"description": "delete characters in SET1, do not translate"
},
{
"flag": "-s",
"long": "--squeeze-repeats",
"arg": null,
"description": "replace each sequence of a repeated character that is listed in the last specified SET, with a single occurrence of that character"
},
{
"flag": "-t",
"long": "--truncate-set1",
"arg": null,
"description": "first truncate SET1 to length of SET2 --help display this help and exit"
},
{
"flag": "",
"long": "--version",
"arg": null,
"description": "output version information and exit SETs are specified as strings of characters. Most represent themselves. Interpreted se‐ quences are: \\NNN character with octal value NNN (1 to 3 octal digits) \\\\ backslash \\a audible BEL \\b backspace \\f form feed \\n new line \\r return \\t horizontal tab \\v vertical tab CHAR1-CHAR2 all characters from CHAR1 to CHAR2 in ascending order [CHAR*] in SET2, copies of CHAR until length of SET1 [CHAR*REPEAT] REPEAT copies of CHAR, REPEAT octal if starting with 0 [:alnum:] all letters and digits [:alpha:] all letters [:blank:] all horizontal whitespace [:cntrl:] all control characters [:digit:] all digits [:graph:] all printable characters, not including space [:lower:] all lower case letters [:print:] all printable characters, including space [:punct:] all punctuation characters [:space:] all horizontal or vertical whitespace [:upper:] all upper case letters [:xdigit:] all hexadecimal digits [=CHAR=] all characters which are equivalent to CHAR Translation occurs if -d is not given and both SET1 and SET2 appear. -t may be used only when translating. SET2 is extended to length of SET1 by repeating its last character as nec‐ essary. Excess characters of SET2 are ignored. Only [:lower:] and [:upper:] are guaranteed to expand in ascending order; used in SET2 while translating, they may only be used in pairs to specify case conversion. -s uses the last specified SET, and occurs after translation or deletion."
}
],
"examples": [],
"see_also": [],
"section_outline": [
{
"name": "NAME",
"lines": 2,
"subsections": []
},
{
"name": "SYNOPSIS",
"lines": 2,
"subsections": []
},
{
"name": "DESCRIPTION",
"lines": 2,
"subsections": [
{
"name": "-c -C --complement",
"lines": 2,
"flag": "-C",
"long": "--complement"
},
{
"name": "-d --delete",
"lines": 2,
"flag": "-d",
"long": "--delete"
},
{
"name": "-s --squeeze-repeats",
"lines": 3,
"flag": "-s",
"long": "--squeeze-repeats"
},
{
"name": "-t --truncate-set1",
"lines": 4,
"flag": "-t",
"long": "--truncate-set1"
},
{
"name": "--version",
"lines": 78,
"long": "--version"
}
]
},
{
"name": "AUTHOR",
"lines": 2,
"subsections": []
},
{
"name": "REPORTING BUGS",
"lines": 3,
"subsections": []
},
{
"name": "COPYRIGHT",
"lines": 5,
"subsections": []
},
{
"name": "SEE ALSO",
"lines": 6,
"subsections": []
}
],
"sections": {
"NAME": {
"content": "tr - translate or delete characters\n",
"subsections": []
},
"SYNOPSIS": {
"content": "tr [OPTION]... SET1 [SET2]\n",
"subsections": []
},
"DESCRIPTION": {
"content": "Translate, squeeze, and/or delete characters from standard input, writing to standard output.\n",
"subsections": [
{
"name": "-c -C --complement",
"content": "use the complement of SET1\n",
"flag": "-C",
"long": "--complement"
},
{
"name": "-d --delete",
"content": "delete characters in SET1, do not translate\n",
"flag": "-d",
"long": "--delete"
},
{
"name": "-s --squeeze-repeats",
"content": "replace each sequence of a repeated character that is listed in the last specified\nSET, with a single occurrence of that character\n",
"flag": "-s",
"long": "--squeeze-repeats"
},
{
"name": "-t --truncate-set1",
"content": "first truncate SET1 to length of SET2\n\n--help display this help and exit\n",
"flag": "-t",
"long": "--truncate-set1"
},
{
"name": "--version",
"content": "output version information and exit\n\nSETs are specified as strings of characters. Most represent themselves. Interpreted se‐\nquences are:\n\n\\NNN character with octal value NNN (1 to 3 octal digits)\n\n\\\\ backslash\n\n\\a audible BEL\n\n\\b backspace\n\n\\f form feed\n\n\\n new line\n\n\\r return\n\n\\t horizontal tab\n\n\\v vertical tab\n\nCHAR1-CHAR2\nall characters from CHAR1 to CHAR2 in ascending order\n\n[CHAR*]\nin SET2, copies of CHAR until length of SET1\n\n[CHAR*REPEAT]\nREPEAT copies of CHAR, REPEAT octal if starting with 0\n\n[:alnum:]\nall letters and digits\n\n[:alpha:]\nall letters\n\n[:blank:]\nall horizontal whitespace\n\n[:cntrl:]\nall control characters\n\n[:digit:]\nall digits\n\n[:graph:]\nall printable characters, not including space\n\n[:lower:]\nall lower case letters\n\n[:print:]\nall printable characters, including space\n\n[:punct:]\nall punctuation characters\n\n[:space:]\nall horizontal or vertical whitespace\n\n[:upper:]\nall upper case letters\n\n[:xdigit:]\nall hexadecimal digits\n\n[=CHAR=]\nall characters which are equivalent to CHAR\n\nTranslation occurs if -d is not given and both SET1 and SET2 appear. -t may be used only\nwhen translating. SET2 is extended to length of SET1 by repeating its last character as nec‐\nessary. Excess characters of SET2 are ignored. Only [:lower:] and [:upper:] are guaranteed\nto expand in ascending order; used in SET2 while translating, they may only be used in pairs\nto specify case conversion. -s uses the last specified SET, and occurs after translation or\ndeletion.\n",
"long": "--version"
}
]
},
"AUTHOR": {
"content": "Written by Jim Meyering.\n",
"subsections": []
},
"REPORTING BUGS": {
"content": "GNU coreutils online help: \nReport any translation bugs to \n",
"subsections": []
},
"COPYRIGHT": {
"content": "Copyright © 2020 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later\n.\nThis is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to\nthe extent permitted by law.\n",
"subsections": []
},
"SEE ALSO": {
"content": "Full documentation \nor available locally via: info '(coreutils) tr invocation'\n\n\n\nGNU coreutils 8.32 January 2026 TR(1)",
"subsections": []
}
}
}
}