How do you test to see if your MySQL query is correct in PHP?

I'm a Coldfusion programmer but learning PHP. In Coldfusion if you have a UPDATE query written out similar like so...

UPDATE training_courses
                                SET
                                 course_title = '$course_title',
                                 courseCategory = '$coursecategory',
                                 trainingType = '$trainingType',
                                 courseCategory = '$courseCategory',
                                 level = '$level',
                                 course_description = '$course_description',
                                 course_will_learn = '$course_will_learn',
                                 course_will_understand = '$course_will_understand',
                                 course_will_gain = '$course_will_gain',
                                 course_will_improve = '$course_will_improve',
                                 course_will_other = '$course_will_other',
                                 credits = '$credits',
                                 numOfSpeakers = '$numOfSpeakers',
                                 speakerID1 = '$speakerID1',
                                 speakerID2 = '$speakerID2',
                                 workShopLength = '$workShopLength',
                                 lecturePercentage = '$lecturePercentage',
                                 demonstrationPercentage = '$demonstrationPercentage',
                                 handsOnPercentage = '$handsOnPercentage',
                                 QandAPercentage = '$QandAPercentage',
                                 workShopComments = '$workShopComments'
                                
                              WHERE record_id = $course_id";


and you misspelled a table cell variable Coldfusion would let you know that on line such and such db.tablecell does not exist.  In PHP it just does nothing. Is that just a limitation of PHP or is there something I turn on to debug my code or do I just need to go line by line to make sure that all of my SQL cell parameters as well as my code are is correct when nothing happens?  When you write SQL statements on the fly sometimes things get miss-spelled so I just thought I would ask.