Instead of using the split command for string manipulation we can use the word function. Looking at a previous example of transforming the make variable of the auto dataset into a categorical variable brand, let's see if we achieve the same results:
sysuse auto, clear
gen brand = word(make, 1)
tab brand
As demonstrated in this example the word function is simpler and arguably more elegant to use in this case because it just extracts the first word from the make variable, without any looping or use of temporary variables. In this code the function word(make, 1) simply returns the first word from the make variable. Similarly it can be used to extract substrings at other locations from a string.