SOUNDEX()

SOUNDEX() returns a four-character value for a specified string which you can then compare with the value of another string to see if both strings are phonetically similar.

This function is useful for performing a “fuzzy” comparison if you want to find items with duplicate entries or items where spelling is inconsistent.

The first character in the value represents the first letter in the string. The next three characters in the value represent phonetically similar consonant groups in the string. SOUNDEX() ignores both capitalization and vowels in the string and only uses the first three consonant groups in long arguments.

For an alternative method of phonetically comparing strings, see SOUNDSLIKE().

Function Format

SOUNDEX(C)

Examples

SOUNDEX("Fairview Ind") = "F615"

SOUNDEX("Fairview Media") = "F615"

SOUNDEX("Fairviews Media") = "F612"