In Knowledge Base searches, are some words ignored?

Unless used as a "quoted" term or phrase, all words in a fairly large list of common words are ignored in Indiana University Knowledge Base searches. This means that when you perform a search using words found on this list, the words are ignored by the search routine. Knowledge Base staff built this list carefully, based on evaluation of each word's usefulness in finding specific documents. Every night, all words in all texts in the Knowledge Base are indexed, except for the words in the list. This large list of words results in both faster index building and faster searches.

For example, if you search on the phrase I need computer account , the search will return all Knowledge Base documents that contain computer and account, but I and need will be ignored. The words "I" and "need" may occur in many, many Knowledge Base documents. By ignoring such common words, your search will be more successful.

The following words are ignored:

a	able	about	above	according	across	actual	actually	adj
afterwards	against	almost	alone	along	already	also	although	always
am	among	amongst	an	and	anyhow	anyone	anything	anywhere
appear	are	aren't	around	as	at	b	be	became
because	become	becomes	becoming	been	beforehand	began	behind	being
below	beside	besides	better	between	beyond	billion	both	but
by	called	can	can't	cannot	cant	co	co.	could
couldn't	crap	currently	d	did	didn't	directly	do	does
doesn't	don't	done	dont	down	during	e	e.g.	each
eg	eight	eighty	either	else	elsewhere	ended	ending	enough
even	ever	every	everyone	everything	everywhere	except	f	far
few	fifty	finding	five	following	for	former	formerly	forty
found	four	from	further	g	getting	go	going	gone
h	had	has	hasn't	have	haven't	he	he'd	he'll
he's	hence	her	here	here's	hereafter	hereby	herein	hereupon
hers	herself	him	himself	his	how	however	hundred	i
i'd	i'll	i'm	i've	i.e.	if	im	in	inc
inc.	including	indeed	instead	into	is	isn't	it	it's
its	itself	j	just	know	knowing	known	kruft	kudos
l	later	latter	latterly	let	let's	like	likely	look
ltd	m	made	makes	making	many	may	maybe	meantime
meanwhile	meeting	might	million	miss	missed	moreover	mostly	mr
mrs	much	must	my	myself	n	namely	need	needs
neither	nevertheless	nine	ninety	no	nobody	none	nonetheless	noone
nor	not	note	nothing	now	nowhere	o	of	often
once	one	one's	only	onto	or	other	others	otherwise
our	ours	ourselves	overall	p	part	per	perhaps	picked
picking	place	please	pm	possible	provide	q	questions	r
rather	really	reason	recently	rid	rotten	s	saw	see
seeing	seem	seemed	seeming	seems	seen	seven	seventy	several
she	she'd	she'll	she's	should	shouldn't	showed	showing	shown
since	six	sixty	so	some	somehow	someone	something	sometime
sometimes	somewhere	still	stopping	such	sure	t	take	taken
taking	ten	than	thanks	that	that'll	that's	that've	the
their	them	themselves	then	thence	there	there'd	there'll	there're
there's	there've	thereafter	thereby	therefore	therein	thereupon	these	they
they'd	they'll	they're	they've	things	think	thinking	thirty	this
those	though	thought	thousand	three	through	throughout	thru	thus
to	together	too	took	toward	towards	trillion	try	twenty
two	u	under	unless	unlike	unlikely	until	up	upon
us	v	vast	very	via	w	want	was	wasn't
way	we	we'd	we'll	we're	we've	were	weren't	what
what'll	what's	what've	whatever	whence	whenever	where's	whereafter	whereas
whereby	wherein	whereupon	wherever	whether	while	whither	who'd	who'll
who's	whoever	whole	whom	whomever	whose	will	wish	with
within	without	won't	would	wouldn't	y	yes	yet	you
you'd	you'll	you're	you've	youll	your	youre	yours	yourself
yourselves

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Last modified on April 29, 2008.

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