In the previous few posts I’ve talked about how you can select text in a resource and then click the Search button on the Resource palette to search your current resource for that selection of text. I’ve shown how this feature makes it extremely easy to search for Hebrew words. I’ve also shown how you can hold the option key down to search for Greek or Hebrew inflected forms rather than lexical forms.

Now, suppose you come across a phrase you want to search for, but you don’t necessarily want to find that exact phrase. If you select that phrase, then hold the shift key down while clicking the Search button, Accordance will automatically insert the FUZZY command to allow for inexact matches.

For example, if I select the phrase “the ground is cursed” in Genesis 3:17 of the HCSB, then shift-click the Search button of the Resource palette, Accordance opens a new tab which finds phrases like “the ground is dry,” “the land is cursed,” “the ground is cracked,” and “the deceiver is cursed.”

Note that because the phrase I selected was relatively short, Accordance inserted [Fuzzy 1], which means that one word can be missing from or substituted in the original phrase. To increase the degree of fuzziness, you can replace the 1 with a higher number.

If you select a longer phrase, such as “tree of life in the midst of the garden” in Genesis 2:9, Accordance will automatically insert a fuzzy command with a larger number when you shift-click the Search button.

Spend some time experimenting with selecting phrases and shift-clikcing the Search button. You’ll find that such instant access to the fuzzy command can make for much more flexible searching.