Phonetic Algorithms
Learn to represent words by their sound to detect hidden similarities.
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The German “Schwarz,” the English “Shvarts,” and the Russian “Шварц” are spelled differently, but they share a significant similarity—they sound alike. A phonetic algorithm aims to make their strings look alike by encoding a word’s sound.
The list of phonetic algorithms is long. Some work well for a single language, while others try to serve multiple. Some consist of just a handful of rules, and others of several hundred. Some respond with a single encoding, others with a whole array to account for ambiguity. The following three algorithms represent the spectrum for English-centric texts well:
Metaphone: It has a ...