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SOUNDEX()

Overview

SOUNDEX() generates a phonetic representation of a string, which is useful for finding words that sound similar but are spelled differently. This function is particularly helpful for name matching, search functionality, and data deduplication where phonetic similarity is important.

Function Format

SOUNDEX(string)

Return Value

SOUNDEX() returns a character string

Examples

// Words that sound similar
SOUNDEX("PEACE") = "P2"
SOUNDEX("PIECE") = "P2"

// Words that sound the same
SOUNDEX("TWO") = "T"
SOUNDEX("TO") = "T"
SOUNDEX("TOO") = "T"

// Additional examples
SOUNDEX("SMITH") = "S530"
SOUNDEX("SMYTH") = "S530"
SOUNDEX("JOHN") = "J500"
SOUNDEX("JON") = "J500"

Notes

• Important behaviors:
  • First letter is preserved
  • Subsequent letters are converted to numbers
  • Similar sounding letters get same number
  • Result is typically 4 characters long
  • Case insensitive
• Common use cases include:
  • Name matching
  • Search functionality
  • Data deduplication
  • Fuzzy matching
  • Record linking
• The function is useful for:
  • Finding similar names
  • Handling spelling variations
  • Improving search results
  • Data cleaning
• Soundex algorithm characteristics:
  • Based on English pronunciation
  • Ignores vowels after first letter
  • Groups similar consonant sounds
  • Handles common spelling variations

See Also

• LOWER()
• UPPER()
• REPLACE()
• TRIM()