Asterisk *
Summary
* matches zero or more characters. This wild card is useful when you are not sure what you are looking for, but have a general idea. It expands a search term to include all forms of a root word, e.g., patent* retrieves patent, patents, patentable, patented, etc.
Also, it can be used to find alternative (mis)spellings of a word, e.g. colo*r retrieves both color and colour, and useful* retrieves useful, usefull [sic], usefullness [sic] and usefulness.
Syntax |
Semantics |
Recommended Use |
|---|---|---|
*term term* |
Where * can be placed before, inside or right after a term. |
Use it to expand your search terms to include all forms of a root word or to find alternative spellings. |
Examples
Example of query |
Results |
|---|---|
*most |
most, almost |
auto* |
auto, automobile, automotive, automatic, autobiography, autocracy, autograph, etc. |
auto AND automo* |
auto, automobile, automotive, auto-redaction, auto-increment |
*soft* |
microsoft, microsoftware, soft, software, .. |
colo*r |
color, colour |
ch*ter |
charter, character, chapter |
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