{
  "altLabels": [
    "Exact-Match Search",
    "Exact Phrase Search",
    "Phrase Search"
  ],
  "definition": "A matching method or query constraint that requires specified terms, values, or phrases to appear exactly as requested.",
  "derivedRelations": [
    {
      "note": "Exact match is a matching constraint; Boolean retrieval is a query model using Boolean operators over terms or conditions.",
      "target": "boolean-retrieval",
      "type": "notEquivalentTo"
    },
    {
      "note": "Known-item search describes a user goal of finding a specific item; exact match is a matching method that may help when the user knows an exact title, identifier, or phrase.",
      "target": "known-item-search",
      "type": "notEquivalentTo"
    },
    {
      "note": "Exact match depends on precise terms, values, or phrases; tip-of-the-tongue search is needed when the user lacks the exact identifier.",
      "target": "tip-of-the-tongue-search",
      "type": "notEquivalentTo"
    },
    {
      "target": "boolean-retrieval",
      "type": "related"
    },
    {
      "target": "known-item-search",
      "type": "related"
    }
  ],
  "distinctions": [
    {
      "reason": "BM25 scores documents using term statistics; exact match requires specified terms, values, or phrases to match exactly.",
      "statement": "Exact Match is not BM25.",
      "target": "bm25",
      "targetLabel": "BM25",
      "targetUri": "https://id.searchplex.net/bm25/"
    },
    {
      "reason": "Exact match is a specific matching constraint; keyword search is a broader search style that may or may not require exact matching.",
      "statement": "Exact Match is not Keyword Search.",
      "target": "keyword-search",
      "targetLabel": "Keyword Search",
      "targetUri": "https://id.searchplex.net/keyword-search/"
    },
    {
      "reason": "Exact match is one lexical matching behavior; lexical retrieval is the broader retrieval family using lexical features.",
      "statement": "Exact Match is not Lexical Retrieval.",
      "target": "lexical-retrieval",
      "targetLabel": "Lexical Retrieval",
      "targetUri": "https://id.searchplex.net/lexical-retrieval/"
    },
    {
      "reason": "Exact match requires literal matching; query relaxation loosens matching requirements.",
      "statement": "Exact Match is not Query Relaxation.",
      "target": "query-relaxation",
      "targetLabel": "Query Relaxation",
      "targetUri": "https://id.searchplex.net/query-relaxation/"
    },
    {
      "reason": "Exact match requires literal matching; semantic search is meaning-oriented and may retrieve results without exact lexical overlap.",
      "statement": "Exact Match is not Semantic Search.",
      "target": "semantic-search",
      "targetLabel": "Semantic Search",
      "targetUri": "https://id.searchplex.net/semantic-search/"
    }
  ],
  "id": "exact-match",
  "kind": "Method",
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/",
  "links": [
    {
      "label": "Phrases and proximity",
      "type": "canonicalSurvey",
      "url": "https://www.dcc.ufmg.br/irbook/10/node25.html"
    },
    {
      "label": "Meilisearch phrase search",
      "type": "officialHomepage",
      "url": "https://meilisearch.com/docs/capabilities/full_text_search/getting_started/phrase_search"
    }
  ],
  "modifiedAt": "2026-09-14T06:43:46Z",
  "prefLabel": "Exact Match",
  "publisher": {
    "name": "Searchplex",
    "url": "https://searchplex.net/"
  },
  "relations": [
    {
      "note": "BM25 scores documents using term statistics; exact match requires specified terms, values, or phrases to match exactly.",
      "target": "bm25",
      "type": "notEquivalentTo"
    },
    {
      "note": "Exact match is a specific matching constraint; keyword search is a broader search style that may or may not require exact matching.",
      "target": "keyword-search",
      "type": "notEquivalentTo"
    },
    {
      "note": "Exact match is one lexical matching behavior; lexical retrieval is the broader retrieval family using lexical features.",
      "target": "lexical-retrieval",
      "type": "notEquivalentTo"
    },
    {
      "note": "Exact match requires literal matching; query relaxation loosens matching requirements.",
      "target": "query-relaxation",
      "type": "notEquivalentTo"
    },
    {
      "note": "Exact match requires literal matching; semantic search is meaning-oriented and may retrieve results without exact lexical overlap.",
      "target": "semantic-search",
      "type": "notEquivalentTo"
    },
    {
      "target": "bm25",
      "type": "related"
    },
    {
      "target": "inverted-index",
      "type": "related"
    },
    {
      "target": "keyword-search",
      "type": "related"
    },
    {
      "target": "lexical-retrieval",
      "type": "related"
    },
    {
      "target": "query-relaxation",
      "type": "related"
    }
  ],
  "representations": {
    "html": "https://id.searchplex.net/exact-match/",
    "json": "https://id.searchplex.net/exact-match.json",
    "jsonld": "https://id.searchplex.net/exact-match.jsonld"
  },
  "scheme": "https://id.searchplex.net/scheme/",
  "scopeNote": "Exact match may refer to exact field-value matching, exact term matching, or exact phrase matching depending on the system. It is narrower than lexical retrieval generally and should not be used as a synonym for BM25 or keyword search.",
  "status": "published",
  "terms": [
    {
      "community": "industry",
      "label": "Quoted Search",
      "usage": "informal"
    },
    {
      "community": "industry",
      "label": "Phrase Match",
      "usage": "nearSynonym"
    }
  ],
  "uri": "https://id.searchplex.net/exact-match/"
}