How can special characters in variable names impact PHP code execution?

Special characters in variable names can impact PHP code execution by causing syntax errors or unexpected behavior. To avoid this issue, it is recommended to use only alphanumeric characters and underscores in variable names. If special characters are necessary, they should be properly escaped or encoded to prevent any issues.

// Using only alphanumeric characters and underscores in variable names
$my_variable = "Hello, World!";