PostgreSQL error: syntax error at or near

SQLSTATE 42601 (syntax_error) · Updated July 9, 2026

ERROR:  syntax error at or near "order"
LINE 1: SELECT * FROM order;
                      ^

The parser hit a token it couldn't fit into any valid SQL and stopped. One reading tip changes everything: the caret marks where parsing gave up, which is at or just after the actual mistake — look at the flagged token and the few before it.

What this error means

This is a pure grammar error: the statement never got as far as looking up tables or columns. The quoted token in the message is where the grammar broke. In the sample, order is a reserved word (as in ORDER BY), so a table by that name can't appear unquoted — the parser reads it as the keyword and fails.

Common causes

• Reserved words as identifiers: order, group, limit, where… as table or column names, unquoted.
• MySQL syntax: backticks around identifiers (`users`), LIMIT 10, 20, AUTO_INCREMENT — all syntax errors in PostgreSQL.
• Missing or extra punctuation: a comma before FROM, unbalanced parentheses, a stray comma after the last column.
• Placeholders run literally: executing WHERE id = $1 in psql without providing parameters.
• Typographic quotes pasted from chat tools or documents: ’ and “ aren't SQL quotes.

How to diagnose it

• Read the token in the error and the few tokens before the caret — the mistake lives there.
• If the SQL is generated or templated, print the final statement and run it in psql; syntax errors are much easier to see in the assembled text than in the template.
• Suspicious identifier? Check if it's reserved — quoting it ("order") as an experiment settles it instantly.

How to fix it

• Reserved word → quote it (SELECT * FROM "order") — and consider renaming the table; every future query will thank you.
• MySQL-isms → translate: double quotes (or nothing) instead of backticks, LIMIT 20 OFFSET 10, GENERATED ALWAYS AS IDENTITY instead of AUTO_INCREMENT.
• Smart quotes → retype the quotes in a real editor.