Searches Using Symbols

Symbols (such as * and +) are used to help define search arguments In the Search Entry box. They are quite powerful, enabling you to create highly refined word or verse reference searches.

Click Search>Enter Symbol to view the available symbols with a brief description of their function. Selecting a symbol from this submenu or the Enter Symbol shortcut menuClosed Also known as a contextual menu, acessed by right-clicking (or pressing Ctrl+Click, Mac only) over a screen element places the symbol in the Search Entry box.

Wild-Card How Used
*

Use when part of a word or phrase: When searching a Text, an asterisk indicates a global wild-card; that is, any number of letters in a word. Standing alone or as part of a phrase, the asterisk signifies any word. (When searching for Verses the asterisk stands for all verses.) For example, the argument "sing*" finds any word that starts with "sing" including "sing", "singer", "singleness", etc., and "b*g" finds any word that begins with b and ends with g, regardless of its length.

Used alone: When searching a Tool, an asterisk standing alone displays the entire contents of the resourceClosed Any Bible text, or other single tool that can be read in Accordance, including reference texts and articles; may also be referred to as content or module.

- A hyphen immediately following a wild-card expression excludes the words following the hyphen from the expression. For example, the argument "sing*-single*" finds any word that starts with "sing" except for "single", "singleness", etc.
? Use a question mark to represent any single letter in a word. You can specify the characters for the ? wild-card by using parentheses and a hyphen or equal sign following the question mark.

Examples Using the ? Wild Card

Wild-Card How Used
b?t Finds any three-letter word that begins with b and ends with t (bat, bet, bit, but).
b?(a-i)t Finds the same words but the middle letter must be from the range of letters a through i.
b?(eu)t Finds only the words "bet" or "but."
b?(-u)t Finds all the words with the exception of "but" (the hyphen means NOT these letters).
?(0-9)?? Finds all three-digit numerals (three characters, the first from the range 0-9).
a??(=1) Finds "all", "add", and "ass" but not "and" (the =1 means that this wild-card character must match the first wild-card character).

 

Hint

Use the Analysis Details to see all the words found by the wild-card. For example, set the range to a single chapter, and search for * to get a list and count of all the words used in this chapter.

The other symbols help to define a search for words or verse references.

Other Search Symbols How Used Notes
@ At sign is used to link together search criteria so that they apply to the same word. Examples include words and Key numbers, tag information with lexical, inflected forms or roots, or some commands. The symbol is entered automatically when grammatical tags are defined immediately after a word.  
' " Quotation marks are used to enclose inflected forms.  
=

When searching a Text, the equal sign in front of a word requires a search for the exact form which follows it. In non-tagged Texts the exact search includes all word punctuation such as hyphens and apostrophes, capital letters, accents, and other diacritical marks. Thus a search for =mark finds mark but not Mark, and =sons finds sons but not son's. If the equal sign is not used, then punctuation, case, and accents are ignored in the search. The equal sign can be automatically entered in front of each word selected from the Select Words dialog box.

In Greek the exact search includes the capitalization, ending forms, accents, and breathing marks. In Hebrew it includes the vowels, ending forms, and homograph numbers.

When searching a Tool, the equal sign in front of a verse reference searches for the exact reference rather than any reference which includes it.

 Very old versions of Accordance modulesClosed Any Bible text, or other single tool that can be read in Accordance, including reference texts and articles; may also be referred to as content or resource do not fully support exact searches.
+ The plus sign requires a search for the rootClosed A root is a unit of a language that cannot be further divided, from which words are derived by modification. The root does not necessarily survive as a word in itself. The Accordance roots may combine homographs and therefore a single root may include roots with different etymologies and meanings. In Hebrew, by convention, the lexical form (lemma) of a verb is the same as the root. form in tagged Texts, so that it finds all words derived from that root  
.

A period followed by any single character except a blank space, searches for that character. This can be used for alphanumeric characters, punctuation, accents and cantillation marks. The search is case sensitive, and can only be used when searching the Verse field (not within a sentence, chapter, etc.).

The character can be part of a phrase, an @ expression, or a connecting expression.

Parentheses and commas are used as usual to indicate alternative characters (with the period directly in front of each character to be searched).

 For details, see More about the Period (.) Symbol, below
( ) Parentheses are used to specify logical groupings of expressions. The expressions inside the parentheses are evaluated first and then combined with the other expressions in the argument  
- Hyphen indicates a range or a negative (option hyphen can also be used for a range)  
, Comma separates items on a list, such as alternate words inside parentheses, or chapters or verses  
: Colon separates chapter and verse (a period is also allowed)  
; Semicolon divides groups of references  
ff Extends the reference to the end of the last defined unit (last verse, chapter, or book) (for example, Gen 20ff would display Genesis, chapter 20 to the end of Genesis)  
f f adds one of the last unit (Gen for example, Gen 20f would display Genesis, chapters 20 and 21)  

In Hebrew this capability allows searching for cantillation marks either individually or together with a word or tag form. 

In both Greek and Hebrew the search ignores differences in the amount of overstrike, and combination with other diacriticals. Therefore, similar diacritical marks are found in one search. For example, a search for an acute accent will not only find all the different overstrike acute accents, but also all combinations of a breathing mark with an acute accent.

Hint

Add spaces before the period in order to view backstrike characters such as accents.

The CHAR. item in the Construct tab has a similar function, but allows simple entry of alternate characters.

The single character search is also implemented for Tools, and searches all fields together. It can be combined with searches in specific fields.

Examples Using the Period (.) Symbol

Example Finds Notes
.b Finds the letter b anywhere , but not B.

 
.; Finds any semicolon.

 
(.., .,) Finds any period or comma.

 
said ., Finds the word said followed immediately by a comma.

 
./@[VERB] Finds all Greek verbs which appear in the Text with an acute accent.

 
said <AND> ., Finds the word said and any comma in the same verse.

 
." Finds all opening and closing double-quotes. A search for a dumb double quote (.") will find any double quotes, whether dumb ("), smart open (“), or smart close (”). A search for exactly one of the smart variants (e.g. .”) will find only that specific mark.