anymany API reference

anymany is a list formatter built entirely on the native Intl browser API. One function, one options object. Sorted right, joined right, in any locale. Stable since 1.0 — the public API follows semver.

The browser already knows how to join and collate lists in 200+ languages. anymany just makes that API pleasant to use.

import { anymany } from 'anymany'

anymany(['banana', 'apple', 'cherry'])
// "banana, apple, and cherry"

anymany(['S', 'M', 'L'], { type: 'disjunction' })
// "S, M, or L"

anymany(['x', 'y', 'z', 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd'], { max: 3 })
// "x, y, z, and +4"

npm install anymany
# or
pnpm add anymany
# or
yarn add anymany

The single entry point. Pass an array of strings, optionally pass options. Non-string items are coerced via String(). An empty array returns ""; a single item is returned as-is.

anymany(items)
anymany(items, options?)

anymany(['read', 'write'])
// "read and write"

anymany(['a', 'b', 'c'], { style: 'short' })
// "a, b, & c"

anymany(['4 kg', '2 m'], { type: 'unit' })
// "4 kg, 2 m"

anymany(['cherry', 'apple', 'Banana'], { sort: true })
// "apple, Banana, and cherry"

Same arguments as anymany(), but returns the output as { type, value } parts instead of a string — style the items apart from the separators, or rebuild the output your own way.

import { anymanyParts } from 'anymany'

anymanyParts(['a', 'b'])
// [
//   { type: 'element', value: 'a' },
//   { type: 'literal', value: ' and ' },
//   { type: 'element', value: 'b' },
// ]

// React: bold the items
anymanyParts(tags).map((p, i) =>
  p.type === 'element' ? <b key={i}>{p.value}</b> : p.value,
)

sort runs the items through Intl.Collator before joining — real language-aware collation, not code-point order. The input array is never mutated.

anymany(['cherry', 'apple', 'Banana'], { sort: true })
// "apple, Banana, and cherry"   ← plain .sort() puts "Banana" first

anymany(['file10', 'file2'], { sort: 'numeric' })
// "file2 and file10"            ← numbers compared by value

anymany(['a', 'A'], { sort: { caseFirst: 'upper' } })
// "A and a"                     ← any Intl.CollatorOptions

max caps the visible items; the rest collapse into a trailing "+N" counter. Digits come from Intl.NumberFormat, so they localize — no words, locale-safe.

anymany(['x', 'y', 'z', 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd'], { max: 3 })
// "x, y, z, and +4"

anymany(['x', 'y', 'z', 'a', 'b'], { max: 3, overflow: (n) => `${n} more` })
// "x, y, z, and 2 more"

The overflow item is just another list element, so the default type places an "and" before it. That is intentional — no hidden joiner magic. Prefer a plain comma list? Combine max with type: 'unit'.

Same calls in a few languages — no extra setup, no locale files.

anymany(['a', 'b', 'c'], { locale: 'en' })   // "a, b, and c"
anymany(['a', 'b', 'c'], { locale: 'ru' })   // "a, b и c"
anymany(['a', 'b', 'c'], { locale: 'de' })   // "a, b und c"
anymany(['a', 'b', 'c'], { locale: 'ja' })   // "a、b、c"

anymany(['a', 'b', 'c'], { type: 'disjunction', locale: 'ru' })
// "a, b или c"

anymany(['Öl', 'Zebra', 'Apfel'], { sort: true, locale: 'de' })
// "Apfel, Öl und Zebra"   ← Ö sorts after A, not after Z

anymany(['файл10', 'файл2'], { sort: 'numeric', locale: 'ru' })
// "файл2 и файл10"

anymany(['a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f', 'g'], { max: 3, locale: 'ar-EG' })
// "a وb وc و+٤"           ← localized overflow digits

Pass any valid BCP 47 language tag — including regional variants like en-GB, zh-TW, or pt-BR. Locale is optional; when omitted, native Intl uses the runtime locale. Fallback arrays like ['sr-Latn-RS', 'en'] also work.

anymany is pure — same input, same output, no clocks, no randomness, no DOM. Server and client render identically as long as the locale is passed explicitly (the runtime locale may differ between server and browser).

import { anymany } from 'anymany'

export function TagList({ tags }: { tags: string[] }) {
  return <p>{anymany(tags, { locale: 'en', sort: true, max: 5 })}</p>
}

anymany uses Intl.ListFormat, Intl.Collator, and Intl.NumberFormat — all widely supported.

A few things worth knowing before you ship: