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// Soundex - Phonetic algorithm for indexing names by sound
Sound-Based
Encodes names based on pronunciation, not spelling.
Fuzzy Matching
Finds similar-sounding names despite spelling variations.
Family Research
Essential tool for genealogy and historical records.
>> technical info
How Soundex Works:
Soundex keeps the first letter and replaces consonants with digits based on phonetic groups. Similar-sounding consonants get the same digit. Vowels are ignored, and the result is padded to 4 characters (American) or variable length (Refined).
Encoding Rules:
1 = B,F,P,V 2 = C,G,J,K,Q,S,X,Z 3 = D,T 4 = L 5 = M,N 6 = R Robert → R163 Rupert → R163 Rubin → R150
Why Use Soundex:
- >Database deduplication
- >Genealogy research
- >Census analysis
- >Customer matching
- >Spell correction
>> frequently asked questions
What is Soundex?
Soundex is a phonetic algorithm patented in 1918 for indexing names by sound. It was designed for the US Census to help find surnames with similar pronunciations despite different spellings.
American vs Refined Soundex?
American Soundex produces 4-character codes (letter + 3 digits). Refined Soundex (used in SQL Server) uses more digit mappings and produces variable-length codes for better accuracy.
Why do different spellings get the same code?
That's the purpose! Soundex groups similar-sounding names together. Smith and Schmidt sound similar, so they get similar codes, helping find name variations in databases.
What are Soundex limitations?
Soundex works best with English names. It may not handle names from other languages well, and very different spellings of the same name might get different codes.