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October 28, 2008    DOL Home > Search / A to Z Index > Detailed Search Help

Using Wildcards

You can use wildcard characters if you are not sure of the spelling of your search term to expand your search:

  • Asterisks (*) substitute for a string of characters of any length

Asterisk

The asterisk is useful for matching terms with the same root or prefix. For example, if you are not sure how to spell fiduciary, you can submit this query:

This query finds pages that match fiduciary, as well as pages that match terms like fidelity and fide (as in bona fide). Once you have found the correct spelling of fiduciary, you can submit a new query to limit the search to the pages that interest you.

The asterisk can also be used to substitute for characters in a particular position in a term. For example, if you are searching for a document referring to someone named Fleiss but you are not sure if the name is spelled Fleiss or Fliess, use this query:

The search engine finds pages that contain either Fleiss or Fliess.

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