If I had to learn the MERN stack as a complete beginner in 2026, here is exactly how I would do it: 1. Understand what MERN actually is. MERN stands for MongoDB, Express.js, React.js, and Node.js, and it’s used for building full-stack web apps. All four tools rely on JavaScript, but before touching JS, I need an even more fundamental foundation. (See step 2.) 2. Start with the real basics: HTML & CSS. React handles the frontend, but React itself is built on top of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. So as a complete beginner in 2026, I would first learn: a) HTML structure b) CSS styling & layouts c) Flexbox & Grid d) Responsive design This gives me the confidence to build simple static pages before moving into real programming. 3. Learn JavaScript properly. Since both the frontend (React) and backend (Node + Express) use JavaScript, I would next dive deep into JS fundamentals: a) Variables, functions, arrays, l...