Use of truncation and wildcard symbols vary by database vendor – consult database HELP pages for complete information on how to use
Truncation and wildcard symbols allow for searches with unknown characters, multiple spellings or various endings.
| Symbol | Use |
| Asterisk (*) | Matches multiple characters; typically used to find word endings. |
| Hashtag (#) | Matches one optional character. |
| Question mark (?) | Matches exactly one character. |
| Truncation Action | Example |
| Find variants of a root word by replacing the ending of the root with an asterisk (*) | animat* will retrieve animate, animates, animation, animator, animatronics |
| Use the truncation asterisk within words to find multiple characters | hea*one will retrieve headphone, headstone, hearthstone |
| Use truncation asterisk to replace a single word within a phrase | midsummer * dream will retrieve midsummer night's dream, midsummer day's dream |
| Symbol | Action | Example |
| Hashtag (#) | Alternative spellings | Colo#r finds color and colour |
| Question mark (?) | Unknown character | Thomps?n finds Thompson, Thompsen |
Wildcards and truncation can be combined in search terms:
Colo#r* = color, colour, colorized, colourized, colorblind, colourblind, etc.