What are some common pitfalls to avoid when working with PHP variables and functions?

One common pitfall to avoid when working with PHP variables is not properly initializing them before use. This can lead to unexpected errors or incorrect results in your code. To solve this issue, always make sure to initialize your variables before using them in your code.

// Incorrect way - variable not initialized
$number;
echo $number; // This will throw an error

// Correct way - initialize variable before use
$number = 10;
echo $number; // Output: 10