A minimal code sample that reproduces the problem is essential if you're going to get any useful help. That said, the most likely explanation, just to expand on what the above poster already said, is that you've placed your variable in single quotes in your print statement. One difference between single and double quotes is that double quotes allow "interpolation"; stated roughly, they substitute the values of variables for their names. To get into the nitty-gritty of it, you should read perldoc perlop, especially the section on "Quote and Quote-like Operators."