Why is it important to consider word boundaries when applying regular expressions to filter specific patterns in PHP?

When applying regular expressions in PHP to filter specific patterns, it is important to consider word boundaries to ensure that the pattern is matched correctly. Word boundaries (\b) help to define the start and end of a word, preventing partial matches within larger words. This is especially important when searching for whole words or specific terms within a larger text to avoid unintended matches.

// Example: Filtering for the word "apple" with word boundaries
$text = "I like apples and oranges, but not pineapple.";
$pattern = "/\bapple\b/";
if (preg_match($pattern, $text)) {
    echo "The word 'apple' was found in the text.";
} else {
    echo "The word 'apple' was not found in the text.";
}