Operator

Meaning and Use

$

Matches zero or more continuous characters. The $ truncation operator can be used in any search field to represent 0, 1, or more than one character other than a blank space character.

$n

Matches between zero and n continuous characters. By including a numeric value following the $ truncation operator, the $ operator is limited to at most n characters.

?

Matches exactly one non-blank character.

Search Term

Explanation of Search Results

BOOK

No truncation operator is used. By default, the search engine will return occurrences of the singular or plural forms of the search term, so all occurrences of BOOK or BOOKS will be retrieved.

BOOK$

With the $ truncation at the end of the BOOK search term, all occurrences of words beginning with BOOK are retrieved, including BOOK, BOOKCASE, BOOKCASES, BOOKENDS and BOOKS.

BOO?

With the ? truncation operator at the end of the BOO search term, all occurrences of word beginning with BOO and having exactly one additional character, such as BOOK or BOOT, are retrieved. Note that the plural form BOOKS is not retrieved by this search, as the ? at the end of the search term negates the search for plural terms.

D$G

With the $ truncation operator between the letters D and G, all occurrences of words beginning with the letter D and ending with the letter G are retrieved. This includes the words DOG, DRINKING, DINING, DRAFTING, DRESSING, DUSTING, and many others. Note that occurrences of the plural form DOGS are not necessarily retrieved by this search, as the $ truncation operator confuses the search engine's search for plural terms.

D?G

With the ? truncation operator between the letters D and G, all occurrences of three-letter words beginning with D and ending with G are retrieved, though the only such word is DOG. Note that occurrences of the plural form DOGS are not retrieved by this search, as the ? in the search term negates the search for plural terms.

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