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How can I register a custom taxonomy in WordPress?

Asked on Sep 05, 2025

Answer

To register a custom taxonomy in WordPress, you can use the `register_taxonomy` function within your theme's `functions.php` file or a custom plugin. This function allows you to create a new taxonomy and associate it with one or more post types.

<!-- BEGIN COPY / PASTE -->
    add_action('init', 'create_custom_taxonomy');

    function create_custom_taxonomy() {
        $labels = array(
            'name' => _x('Genres', 'taxonomy general name'),
            'singular_name' => _x('Genre', 'taxonomy singular name'),
            'search_items' => __('Search Genres'),
            'all_items' => __('All Genres'),
            'parent_item' => __('Parent Genre'),
            'parent_item_colon' => __('Parent Genre:'),
            'edit_item' => __('Edit Genre'),
            'update_item' => __('Update Genre'),
            'add_new_item' => __('Add New Genre'),
            'new_item_name' => __('New Genre Name'),
            'menu_name' => __('Genre'),
        );

        $args = array(
            'hierarchical' => true,
            'labels' => $labels,
            'show_ui' => true,
            'show_admin_column' => true,
            'query_var' => true,
            'rewrite' => array('slug' => 'genre'),
        );

        register_taxonomy('genre', array('post'), $args);
    }
    <!-- END COPY / PASTE -->

Additional Comment:

The `register_taxonomy` function should be hooked to the `init` action to ensure it runs at the correct time.
Customize the `$labels` and `$args` arrays to fit the specific needs of your taxonomy.
Ensure that the taxonomy slug is unique and does not conflict with existing taxonomies or post types.
Test the taxonomy in your WordPress admin to ensure it appears as expected under the associated post types.

✅ Answered with WordPress best practices.

Ask any question about WordPress here... and get an instant response.

How can I register a custom taxonomy in WordPress?

Asked on Sep 05, 2025

Answer

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