What is Lexical Search?
Also called Keyword retrieval
Definition
Lexical search retrieves information using the words or terms present in a query and indexed content. It emphasizes term matching, while semantic search focuses on relationships in meaning.
The operation of Lexical Search is explained.
A full-text system indexes terms and applies matching and scoring rules. Analysis such as stemming can change how terms match, so lexical search does not always require identical raw strings. BM25 is one common scoring method.
The relevance of Lexical Search is explained.
Buyers and developers often search using product names or configuration settings.
Preserving those names in visible documentation supports precise interpretation, while explanatory language helps readers understand what the settings do.
The evaluation of Lexical Search is explained.
Evaluation includes identifiers, abbreviations, ordinary descriptions, and analyzer behavior when expected matches disappear. Complementary semantic retrieval can address paraphrases without unnatural keyword repetition.
Frequently asked questions about Lexical Search
Is lexical search always exact string matching?
Search analyzers can normalize terms, so matching is not always limited to identical character strings.
Is lexical retrieval obsolete?
Lexical retrieval remains useful for precise terms and can form part of hybrid systems.
Does lexical search understand every synonym?
Synonym handling depends on the implementation and configured analysis.