"Sounds like" search code on name

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dean Slindee
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D

Dean Slindee

Can anyone point me to a code example or repository that would allow me to
provide some "sounds like" comparison capability when doing a search for
LastName?

Thanks,
Dean Slindee
 
Dean Slindee said:
Can anyone point me to a code example or repository that would allow me to
provide some "sounds like" comparison capability when doing a search for
LastName?

Thanks,
Dean Slindee
Click to expand...

Dean,

You could look into SoundEx. It is a very simple tokenizing algorithm
designed specifically for working with surnames.
Lot's of things use this, and SQL server even has a built-in SoundEx
function.
Although keep in mind that in it's simplicity of implementation, the results
are also very simplistic.
In its simplist form, SoundEx will match just about anything that begins
with the same letter.
There are also other variations that can become reasonably complex. These
might just be good enough for your needs.

If you want to look into considerably more complex algorithms, you might
look into MetaPhone.
It was designed to attempt to perform better "sounds like" matching beyond
just simple surname matching.
Of course, all of the "sounds like" algorithms have their limitations.

Gerald
 
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