🔤 Phrase Matching ("word1 word2")
This is used to search for exact phrases, with:
Exact order
No extra words in between
No variations
Example:
| Code Block |
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MATCH(content) AGAINST('"gene therapy" IN BOOLEAN MODE) |
...
Phrase matching is strict — it's looking for gene immediately followed by therapy.
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🧲 Proximity Matching ("word1 word2" @N)
This is used to search for all words appearing close together, regardless of order, and allows for flexibility in between.
Example:
| Code Block |
|---|
MATCH(content) AGAINST('"gene therapy" @3' IN BOOLEAN MODE) |
...
So while "gene therapy" (phrase) only matches that exact sequence, "gene therapy" @3 allows them to be near each other in any order and with some wiggle room between them.
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🆚 Summary Comparison
Feature | Phrase Match | Proximity Match |
|---|---|---|
Word Order Matters | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
Must be Adjacent | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (within N words) |
Allows Intervening Words | ❌ No | ✅ Yes (up to N-1 words) |
Use Case | Exact matches (e.g., quotes) | Conceptual closeness |
Flexibility | ❌ Rigid | ✅ Flexible |
Available in BOOLEAN MODE? | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes (InnoDB only) |
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🤔 When to use which?
Use phrase matching when you're looking for exact quotations or tight phrases (e.g., "climate change", "artificial intelligence").
Use proximity search when you're more interested in conceptual relevance, especially in large or noisy text fields (e.g., medical records, article abstracts, etc.).
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