Before I send the following SQL to MySQL from PHP I print it to screen. PHP chokes on it, but I can paste the exact same query from the screen directly to MySQL and it works just fine. For example: Here's the relevant PHP code: ====================================== $sql_insert_registration = sprintf("INSERT INTO Registrations ( Class_ID, prid, Registrant, Company, Phone, Email ) VALUES ( $_POST[Class_ID], $_POST[prid], '%s',". parseNull($_POST['Company']).", '$_POST[Phone]', '$_POST[Email]' )", mysql_real_escape_string($_POST['Registrant'])); echo "<pre>".$_POST["Registrant"]."</pre>"; echo "<pre>".mysql_real_escape_string($_POST["Registrant"])."</pre>"; echo "<pre>".$sql_insert_registration."</pre>"; if (!mysql_query($sql_insert_registration, $con)) { die('Error: ' . mysql_error()); .... ====================================== Here's the output: ======================= INSERT INTO Registrations ( Class_ID, prid, Registrant, Company, Phone, Email ) VALUES ( 355, 257, 'Brian O\'Brien',NULL, '612-456-5678', 'paul_s_johnson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx' ) Error: You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near 'Brien', 'Class registration confirmation', ' This email ' at line 16 ================================================== Also very oddly if the name "O'Brien" is input into the HTML form with two apostrophes side by side (O''Brien) then MySQL will take it (but then of course we have the problem of two apostrophes side by side inserted into the MySQL table). For example: =================================== INSERT INTO Registrations ( Class_ID, prid, Registrant, Company, Phone, Email ) VALUES ( 355, 257, 'Brian O\'\'Brien',NULL, '612-456-5678', 'paul_s_johnson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx' ) You have been signed up for the class, and a confirmation email has been sent to you. ================================= Very strange. I've checked various PHP variables and cannot figure out. It works fines from another PHP server that's using the same MySQL database. Thanks, Paul