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Get Best results in Google using Wildcards-Google Tips

A wildcard in a Google search query can be indicated by an asterisk (*), and will match one or more whole words.

Example: A search for [ cooking * classes ] will return results for all of the following phrases (and more):

"cooking school classes" "cooking and tasting classes"

One common use of the asterisk is to fill in the blanks for a query that answers a question: [ the parachute was invented by * ]. Also, you can use more than one asterisk in a single search, such as [ vitamin * is good for * ].

Wildcard searches work for whole words or phrases only. Currently, Google doesn't support searches in which an asterisk indicates a fraction or extension of a word, for example, [ flower * classes ] won't match "flowerful classes."

However, Google do use stemming technology — when appropriate, Google will search not only for your search terms, but also for words that are similar to some or all of those terms, for example, if you search for [ pet lemur dietary needs ], Google will search for the term and also other related variations of your terms.

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