> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.tickertrends.io/tickertrends/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.tickertrends.io/tickertrends/documentation-v2/2.-data-coverage-and-data-types/2.2-raw-data-types/advanced-keyword-matching.md).

# Advanced Keyword Matching

#### Overview

TickerTrends lets you build powerful searches to find exactly the posts and comments you're looking for. Instead of typing a single word, you can use special symbols and keywords to combine terms, catch typos, exclude noise, and more — all in one search.

This guide explains every tool available to you, with plain-English examples.

#### Quick Reference

| Symbol/Word     | Example                | What it does                                                  |
| --------------- | ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| (space)         | `running shoes`        | Finds those two words right next to each other, in that order |
| AND             | `running AND shoes`    | Finds posts that contain both words, anywhere                 |
| OR              | `running OR shoes`     | Finds posts that contain either word                          |
| NOT             | `NOT duolingo`         | Leaves out any post that mentions that word                   |
| -               | `-duolingo`            | Same as NOT — a quicker way to write it                       |
| \~              | `~duolingo`            | Also finds common misspellings of that word                   |
| "..."           | `"running shoes"`      | Treats everything inside the quotes as one phrase             |
| (...)           | `(running OR jogging)` | Groups part of your search together                           |
| \*              | `run*`                 | Matches any word that starts with those letters               |
| title: or body: | `title:duolingo`       | Only searches in the title (or body) of a post                |

***

#### How Each Tool Works

**Typing Two Words Side by Side**

When you type two words with just a space between them, TickerTrends looks for those words **sitting right next to each other, in that exact order**.

* `running shoes` ✅ finds "I bought **running shoes** today"
* `running shoes` ❌ does **not** find "shoes for running" — wrong order
* `running shoes` ❌ does **not** find "running old shoes" — not right next to each other

**AND — Both Words, Anywhere**

Use AND when you want both words to appear in a post, but you don't care where they show up.

* `running AND shoes` ✅ finds "I wear **shoes** when **running**"
* `running AND shoes` ❌ does **not** find "I love running" — the word "shoes" is missing

**OR — Either Word Works**

Use OR when you're happy finding posts that mention one thing or another.

* `duolingo OR babbel` ✅ finds posts mentioning Duolingo, Babbel, or both

**NOT and - — Leave Something Out**

Use NOT (or the minus sign `-` right before a word) to filter out posts that mention something you don't want.

* `duolingo -subscription` ✅ finds "Duolingo is great"
* `duolingo -subscription` ❌ filters out "Duolingo subscription cancelled"
* `NOT duolingo` and `-duolingo` do the exact same thing — pick whichever feels easier

**Parentheses — Grouping Things Together**

Parentheses work just like they do in math: whatever's inside gets handled first. Use them to combine ideas without confusion.

* `(duolingo OR babbel) AND subscription` ✅ finds posts about **either app** that **also** mention subscriptions
* Without the parentheses, your search might not behave the way you expect

**Quotes — Searching for an Exact Phrase**

Wrapping words in quotes tells TickerTrends to treat them as a single phrase. This is most useful when combining with other tools like `~` (see below).

* `"running shoes"` behaves the same as typing `running shoes` — but you can then put a `~` in front of it to fuzzy-match the whole phrase

#### \~ — Catching Typos and Misspellings

Putting a `~` in front of a word tells TickerTrends: "also find posts where someone misspelled this word." It automatically catches one-letter mistakes — a missing letter, a swapped letter, an extra space, or a number substituted for a letter.

* `~duolingo` ✅ finds: duolingo, dulingo, doulingo, "duo lingo", du0lingo

**Fuzzy on a whole phrase:** Put `~` in front of a quoted phrase and it applies to every word in it.

* `~"running shoes"` ✅ finds: "running shoes", "runing shoes", "running shoez"
* `~"running shoes"` ❌ still won't find "shoes running" — order still matters

**Fuzzy on just one word:** `~` only affects the word right after it. The next word stays exact.

* `~running shoes` — "running" allows typos, "shoes" must be spelled perfectly
* This means `~running shoez` would **not** be found

**Fuzzy on multiple words in a row:**

* `~running ~shoes` — both words allow typos, and they still need to appear next to each other

**Fuzzy combined with AND:**

* `~duolingo AND subscription` — finds posts where "duolingo" (or a misspelling) appears **anywhere**, and "subscription" also appears **anywhere**

**One important limit:** You can't put `~` in front of a group in parentheses.

* `~(duolingo OR babbel)` ❌ This won't work
* Instead write: `~duolingo OR ~babbel` ✅

#### \* — Searching by Word Beginnings

The `*` symbol is a wildcard that matches any word starting with the letters you type.

* `run*` ✅ finds: running, runner, runs, rundown
* `run*` ❌ does **not** find "rerun" — it doesn't start with "run"

This is useful when a topic shows up in multiple word forms.

#### title: and body: — Searching in a Specific Place

By default, TickerTrends searches both the title and body of a post. You can narrow it down using `title:` or `body:` to only look in one place.

* `title:"running shoes"` — only finds posts where "running shoes" appears in the **title**
* `title:duolingo -body:sponsored` — finds posts about Duolingo in the title, but filters out any post whose body mentions "sponsored"

#### How Searches Are Evaluated (Order of Operations)

When you combine multiple tools in one search, TickerTrends processes them in this order:

1. `~` and `-` are applied to their word first
2. Words sitting side by side (adjacency) are grouped next
3. AND is applied after that
4. OR is applied last

**Example:** `~running shoes AND jackets OR boots` is actually read as: first find fuzzy "running" next to "shoes", then require "jackets" to also be present, then include anything mentioning "boots" as a separate option.

If that's not what you want, use parentheses to be explicit: `~running AND (shoes OR jackets OR boots)`

#### Real-World Search Examples

| What you're trying to find                               | Search to use                                                      |
| -------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Mentions of a brand, including typos, with no ads        | `~duolingo -ad -sponsored -affiliate`                              |
| Posts about either of two apps that also discuss pricing | `(duolingo OR babbel) AND (price OR cost OR subscription)`         |
| Complaints about a specific product, by title            | `title:"duolingo plus" AND (cancelled OR refund OR broken OR bug)` |
| A brand name (with typos) mentioned alongside a topic    | `~duolingo streak`                                                 |
| Language learning posts, excluding a specific brand      | `~"language learning" -duolingo`                                   |
| Any form of "learn" paired with a language name          | `learn* AND (spanish OR french OR german)`                         |