There is an array with names, for example: $donalds_nephews = array(‘Huey’, ‘Dewey’, ‘Louie’); array

Question

Editorial Team

Asked: June 15, 20262026-06-15T19:53:57+00:00 2026-06-15T19:53:57+00:00

There is an array with names, for example:

$donalds_nephews = array(‘Huey’, ‘Dewey’, ‘Louie’);

array
(
    [0] => Huey
    [1] => Dewey
    [2] => Louie
)

I want to shuffle this array, but ensure that no value of the original array has the same key as the shuffled one.

$donalds_nephews_shuffled = shuffle($donalds_nephews);

This could result in 6 possible permutations:

1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th must not be the result.

What’s the best way to do so? It’s for Secret Santa.

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Editorial Team · Answer 1 · 2026-06-15T19:53:58+00:00

Editorial Team

Shuffle the original array, then make a copy of it and shift all entries one over, then match the two back together to get your matches.

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