Thread: Operator || cannot be applied to java.lang.String, boolean

Copied out of my Lewis and Loftus book.

code section:

   private static boolean beginsWithBlend(String word) {
 
        return (word.startsWith("bl" || word.startsWith("sc")
                || word.startsWith("br") || word.startsWith("sh")
                || word.startsWith("ch") || word.startsWith("sh")
                || word.startsWith("cl") || word.startsWith("sk")
                || word.startsWith("cr") || word.startsWith("sl")
                || word.startsWith("dr") || word.startsWith("sn")
                || word.startsWith("dw") || word.startsWith("sm")
                || word.startsWith("fl") || word.startsWith("sp")
                || word.startsWith("fr") || word.startsWith("sq")
                || word.startsWith("gl") || word.startsWith("st")
                || word.startsWith("gr") || word.startsWith("sw")
                || word.startsWith("kl") || word.startsWith("th")
                || word.startsWith("ph") || word.startsWith("tr")
                || word.startsWith("pl") || word.startsWith("wh")
                || word.startsWith("pr") || word.startsWith("wr"));
    }

the whole return statement is red underlined and when i highlight over the red 'i' which indicates the error it is:

cannot find symbol symbol: method starts with(boolean)
Operator || cannot be applied to java.lang.String, boolean

As i said its straight out of my textbook, yet netbeans is saying the || operator cannot be applied in a boolean?

Originally Posted by djl1990

[CODE]
return (word.startsWith("bl" || word.startsWith("sc")
|| word.startsWith("br") || word.startsWith("sh")
|| word.startsWith("ch") || word.startsWith("sh")

Look at this portion of your code.. I'll let you notice your mistake.