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Editorial Team
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Asked: 2026-06-13T00:59:40+00:00

I know that there are many quirks with the equality operator ( == ).

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I know that there are many quirks with the equality operator (==). For example, following are all true…

null == undefined
1 == '1'
true == 1
false == ''

In all the above cases, using identity operator (===) would have returned the (strictly) correct answer.

But, when I just want to compare simpler things that do not suffer from quirks, why shouldn’t I use the equality operator. For example…

typeof x == 'number'
str == 'something'

So, my question is; why does the equality operator have such a derogatory status, when in fact it’s useful in some situations.

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    There is absolutely nothing wrong with using == when the operands are guaranteed to be of the same type. When the operands are of the same type, it is specified to perform exactly the same steps as ===. A good example is when using typeof.

    The reason for == being frowned upon in such circumstances is purely stylistic. The argument is that code is easier to read if === is used consistently throughout without having to consider the implications of seeing a use of ==. A lot of this originates with Douglas Crockford and is perpetuated by his JSLint tool.

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