What best practices should be followed when debugging PHP scripts to avoid errors like counting inaccurately?

When debugging PHP scripts to avoid errors like counting inaccurately, it is important to ensure that variables are initialized properly and that the correct data types are used. Using built-in PHP functions like count() can help accurately count elements in arrays or strings. Additionally, using proper error handling techniques such as try-catch blocks can help identify and resolve any issues that may arise during execution.

// Example of using count() function to accurately count elements in an array
$numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
$count = count($numbers);
echo "The number of elements in the array is: " . $count;