JavaScript - Operator Precedence

Overview

Estimated time: 15–25 minutes

Operator precedence controls evaluation order; associativity decides tie-breaking (left-to-right or right-to-left).

Learning Objectives

• Predict evaluation order in common expressions.
• Use parentheses to clarify intent.

Prerequisites

• JavaScript - Exponentiation (**) & Nullish (??)

Examples

2 + 3 * 4       // 14 ( * before + )
(2 + 3) * 4     // 20
2 ** 3 ** 2     // 512 (right-associative: 2 ** (3 ** 2))

Common Pitfalls

• Relying on remembered precedence; prefer parentheses for clarity.