# Wildcards in Phrases and Proximity searches
**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/wildcards-in-phrases-and-proximity-searches/6798
**Category:** Elasticsearch
**Created:** [February 24, 2012, 11:58am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/wildcards-in-phrases-and-proximity-searches/6798 "2012-02-24T11:58:54Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Christian\_von\_Wendt\_](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Christian_von_Wendt_)
#### Post date: [February 24, 2012, 11:58am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/wildcards-in-phrases-and-proximity-searches/6798/1 "2012-02-24T11:58:54Z")
Hi,
I was wondering if it is possible to specify wildcards in a phrase/
proximity search such as:
"elastic\* searchengine" which would search for any two words where the
first starts with "elastic" and the other is "searchengine".
For proximity (NEAR) a search could look like this:
"elastic\* searchengine"^5 which would return document where two words
exists in proximity of 5 words distance and the first starts with
"elastic".
---
### Author:  [@Christian\_von\_Wendt\_](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Christian_von_Wendt_)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2012, 8:47am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/wildcards-in-phrases-and-proximity-searches/6798/2 "2012-03-13T08:47:13Z")
No suggestions, anyone?
---
### Author:  [@Clinton\_Gormley](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Clinton_Gormley)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2012, 9:34am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/wildcards-in-phrases-and-proximity-searches/6798/3 "2012-03-13T09:34:31Z")
> For proximity (NEAR) a search could look like this:
>
> "elastic\* searchengine"^5 which would return document where two words
> exists in proximity of 5 words distance and the first starts with
> "elastic".
Actually, that syntax boosts the phrase, it doesn't imply a proximity
search. See
[http://lucene.apache.org/core/old\_versioned\_docs/versions/3\_5\_0/queryparsersyntax.html](http://lucene.apache.org/core/old_versioned_docs/versions/3_5_0/queryparsersyntax.html)
What you want is: (elastic\* searchengine)^5
and yes it does support wildcards
clint
>
---
### Author:  [@Christian\_von\_Wendt\_](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Christian_von_Wendt_)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2012, 7:54am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/wildcards-in-phrases-and-proximity-searches/6798/4 "2012-03-14T07:54:33Z")
Hi,
Well - I made a mistake using the wrong operator, confusing everybody with
my example. I do not want to boost the query. Rather I want to find
document where two or more terms are in proximity of each other, and where
one or more of the terms are wildcard-terms. My example should have been
something like:
"elastic\* searchengine"~5
Is this possible?
Regards,
Christian
Den tirsdag den 13. marts 2012 10.34.31 UTC+1 skrev Clinton Gormley:
> > For proximity (NEAR) a search could look like this:
> >
> > "elastic\* searchengine"^5 which would return document where two words
> > exists in proximity of 5 words distance and the first starts with
> > "elastic".
>
> Actually, that syntax boosts the phrase, it doesn't imply a proximity
> search. See
>
> [Apache Lucene - Query Parser Syntax](http://lucene.apache.org/core/old_versioned_docs/versions/3_5_0/queryparsersyntax.html)
>
> What you want is: (elastic\* searchengine)^5
>
> and yes it does support wildcards
>
> clint
>
> >
---
### Author:  [@Clinton\_Gormley](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Clinton_Gormley)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2012, 9:46am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/wildcards-in-phrases-and-proximity-searches/6798/5 "2012-03-14T09:46:55Z")
> Well - I made a mistake using the wrong operator, confusing everybody
> with my example. I do not want to boost the query. Rather I want to
> find document where two or more terms are in proximity of each other,
> and where one or more of the terms are wildcard-terms. My example
> should have been something like:
>
> "elastic\* searchengine"~5
Sorry, yes, that's what I mean too.
> Is this possible?
Did you try it?
clint
> Regards,
>
> Christian
>
> Den tirsdag den 13. marts 2012 10.34.31 UTC+1 skrev Clinton Gormley:
> \> For proximity (NEAR) a search could look like this:
> \>
> \> "elastic\* searchengine"^5 which would return document where
> two words
> \> exists in proximity of 5 words distance and the first starts
> with
> \> "elastic".
>
> ```
> Actually, that syntax boosts the phrase, it doesn't imply a
> proximity
> search. See
> http://lucene.apache.org/core/old_versioned_docs/versions/3_5_0/queryparsersyntax.html
>
> What you want is: (elastic* searchengine)^5
>
> and yes it does support wildcards
>
> clint
>
> >
> >
> >
>
> ```
---
### Author:  [@Christian\_von\_Wendt\_](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Christian_von_Wendt_)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2012, 12:05pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/wildcards-in-phrases-and-proximity-searches/6798/6 "2012-03-14T12:05:32Z")
Hi again,
Yes, I've tried both version. In this version:
_(elastic_ searchengine)~5
\*
I get a parseException, while this version:
_"elastic_ searchengine"~5
\*
simply ignores the wildcard part.
Den onsdag den 14. marts 2012 10.46.55 UTC+1 skrev Clinton Gormley:
> > Well - I made a mistake using the wrong operator, confusing everybody
> > with my example. I do not want to boost the query. Rather I want to
> > find document where two or more terms are in proximity of each other,
> > and where one or more of the terms are wildcard-terms. My example
> > should have been something like:
> >
> > "elastic\* searchengine"~5
>
> Sorry, yes, that's what I mean too.
>
> > Is this possible?
>
> Did you try it?
>
> clint
>
> > Regards,
> >
> > Christian
> >
> > Den tirsdag den 13. marts 2012 10.34.31 UTC+1 skrev Clinton Gormley:
> > \> For proximity (NEAR) a search could look like this:
> > \>
> > \> "elastic\* searchengine"^5 which would return document where
> > two words
> > \> exists in proximity of 5 words distance and the first starts
> > with
> > \> "elastic".
> >
> > ```
> > Actually, that syntax boosts the phrase, it doesn't imply a
> > proximity
> > search. See
> >
> > ```
>
> [Apache Lucene - Query Parser Syntax](http://lucene.apache.org/core/old_versioned_docs/versions/3_5_0/queryparsersyntax.html)
>
> > ```
> > What you want is: (elastic* searchengine)^5
> >
> > and yes it does support wildcards
> >
> > clint
> >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> > ```
---
### Author:  [@Clinton\_Gormley](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Clinton_Gormley)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2012, 12:18pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/wildcards-in-phrases-and-proximity-searches/6798/7 "2012-03-14T12:18:39Z")
On Wed, 2012-03-14 at 05:05 -0700, Christian von Wendt-Jensen wrote:
> Hi again,
>
> Yes, I've tried both version. In this version:
>
> (elastic\* searchengine)~5
>
> I get a parseException, while this version:
>
> "elastic\* searchengine"~5
>
> simply ignores the wildcard part.
Yes, as the docs say:
```
Lucene supports single and multiple character wildcard searches
within single terms (not within phrase queries).
```
[http://lucene.apache.org/core/old\_versioned\_docs/versions/3\_4\_0/queryparsersyntax.html#Wildcard%20Searches](http://lucene.apache.org/core/old_versioned_docs/versions/3_4_0/queryparsersyntax.html#Wildcard%20Searches)
>
So it looks like you are out of luck
I've tried to think of a way you could achieve this using ngrams or edge
ngrams, but you couldn't wildcard a single word in the phrase.
clint
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2017, 3:36am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/wildcards-in-phrases-and-proximity-searches/6798/8 "2017-07-06T03:36:13Z")