Spell Check vs. Synonyms

Updated

Use Synonyms to map known terms, acronyms, and vocabulary variants across incoming queries. Use Spell Check to recover from no-results queries by retrying with a similar term.

Purpose

  • Synonyms: Define controlled term mappings so different user inputs produce the same results. Best for acronyms, abbreviations, branding terms, and domain-specific vocabulary. 
  • Spell Check: Catches misspelled queries and suggests corrections using indexed content and/or a dictionary. Acts as a safety net for typos and only triggers when the original query produces no results.

How They Work

Synonyms:

  • Managed in the Synonyms dashboard.
  • You explicitly define equivalences (dormitory ↔ residence hall, application → admissions).
  • When a query is parsed, Site Search automatically expands it to include all defined synonyms before running the match against the index.
  • User sees results tied to their original query plus synonyms.

Spell Check:

  • Configured in the Spell Check settings.
  • Can be Data-driven, Dictionary-driven, and Data+Dictionary Driven
  • Trigger point: Responds when a query returns no results.
  • At that point, Site Search examines one index field (and/or a dictionary) for terms with a high similarity to the query term.
  • It chooses a replacement term, runs the query again in the background, and presents results from this second query, not the first one.
  • This correction is transparent to the user, though the UI can show “Did you mean…?”

Comparison with Examples

Feature Synonyms Spell Check
User query res hall scholership
System action Expands query: res hall OR dormitory OR residence hall First query returns no results → Spell Check kicks in → corrected to scholarship
Result impact Ensures coverage of known terminology variations Recovers from typos by retrying the query with a corrected spelling
Best for Acronyms, branding, location names, known synonyms Typos, spelling mistakes

When to Use Each

  • Synonyms:
    • Normalize institutional terms (e.g., administration building ↔ derryberry hall).
    • Connect acronyms (awc ↔ academic wellness center).
    • Support common phrases (application ↔ admissions).
  • Spell Check:
    • Correct spelling errors (engeneering → engineering).
    • Catch mistakes in names (Blackbord → Blackboard).
    • Support users unfamiliar with official spellings.
    • Act as a fallback when no results would otherwise be returned.

So, summarizing the above points ;

  • Use Synonyms when you know the variants ahead of time.
  • Use Spell Check to recover from zero-result queries caused by typos.
  • For best results, enable both: Synonyms for controlled vocabulary, Spell Check as the fallback engine.
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