What common errors or pitfalls do beginners in PHP programming often encounter?

One common error beginners encounter in PHP programming is forgetting to include the opening `<?php` tag at the beginning of their PHP code. This can result in syntax errors or the code not being executed properly. To solve this issue, always remember to start your PHP code with `<?php`.

&lt;?php
// Your PHP code goes here
?&gt;
```

Another pitfall is not properly closing PHP statements with a semicolon `;`. This can lead to unexpected behavior or errors in the code. To avoid this mistake, make sure to end each PHP statement with a semicolon.

```php
&lt;?php
$variable = &quot;Hello, World!&quot;;
echo $variable;
?&gt;
```

Beginners also often forget to escape characters in strings when necessary, leading to syntax errors. To prevent this issue, use backslashes `\` to escape characters like quotes within strings.

```php
&lt;?php
$string = &quot;I&#039;m learning PHP!&quot;;
echo $string;
?&gt;