Wildcard Reference
This table describes wildcards that can be used for searches in Word documents, and includes examples of their use.
You can use parentheses to group wildcards and text and to indicate the order of evaluation. For example, use <(pre)*(ed)> to find presorted and prevented.
| Wildcard | Description | Sample Use |
|---|---|---|
| ? | Find any single character. | s?t finds sat and set. |
| * | Find any string of characters. | s*d finds sad and started. |
| [ ] | Find one of the specified characters. | w[io]n finds win and won. |
| [-] | Find any single character in this range. Ranges must be in ascending order. | [r-t]ight finds right and sight and tight. |
| [!] | Find any single character except the characters inside the brackets. | m[!a]st finds mist and most, but not mast. |
| [!x-z] | Find any single character except characters in the range inside the brackets. | t[!a-m]ck finds tock and tuck, but not tack or tick. |
| {n} | Find exactly n occurrences of the previous character or expression. | fe{2}d finds feed but not fed. |
| {n,} | Find at least n occurrences of the previous character or expression. | fe{1,}d finds fed and feed. |
| {n,m} | Find from n to m occurrences of the previous character or expression. | 10{1,3} finds 10, 100, and 1000. |
| @ | Find one or more occurrences of the previous character or expression. | lo@t finds lot and loot. |
| < | Find the beginning of a word. | <(inter) finds interesting and intercept, but not splintered. |
| > | Find the end of a word. | (in)> finds in and within, but not interesting. |