my %count;

my $wordcnt='Bob|Tom|Dave|Tom|Bob|Dave';

my @words = split(":"); # THIS IS PULLED FROM A FLAT FILE

foreach my $word (@words){
if($word=~/($wordcnt)/io){
$count{$1}++;
}
}


##</code><code>##

if( ($word eq $wordcnt) && ($word[3] eq $wordcnt) )