Typo tolerance is on by default. You can change the typo tolerance behavior in the Typo-Tolerance section of Algolia’s dashboard or with the typoTolerance parameter:

  • true: turns typo tolerance on (the default, suggested value).
  • false: turns typo tolerance off.
  • min: only keeps results with the lowest number of typos. This means that if you have one or more records that match, you’ll only receive those records, but if you have no records that match, you’ll receive records with typo counts of 1 (or 2 if there are none with 1). When using a sort-by attribute, set typo tolerance to min to reduce irrelevant search results.
  • strict: like min but keeps the two lowest number of typos. This is useful when you want to ensure more results. When typo tolerance is strict, the Typo criterion is forced to be first in the ranking formula.

When typo tolerance is true, min or strict, Algolia enables splitting and concatenation.

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Configure word size threshold for typos

Each word in a query can have up to two typos:

  • One typo. Typo tolerance is only considered when a user has typed 4 characters (by default). Change this default with the minWordSizefor1Typo parameter or the Min chars to accept 1 typo setting in the dashboard.
  • Two typos. Two typos are considered when a user has entered 8 characters (by default). Change this default with the minWordSizefor2Typos parameter or the Min chars to accept 2 typos in the dashboard.

Reducing these limits can be beneficial, depending on your specific needs. Experiment with different settings to see what works best for your users.

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Benefits of reducing word size threshold

  • Increased typo tolerance. This can be helpful for mobile apps where typing errors are common.
  • Improved results for short words. If your records contain many short words, reducing the threshold can help users find these words even if they make a typo.

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Drawbacks of reducing word size threshold

  • Increases irrelevant results. If a user makes a typo in a short word, irrelevant but valid results could be shown.

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Treat singular and plural words the same

Singular and plural word forms aren’t the same by default: foot ≠ feet.

Change this default behavior, so that foot = feet, by setting the ignorePlurals parameter to true, or in the Language configuration page in the dashboard.

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Typo tolerance and numbers

Typo tolerance is active on numbers by default. This, for example, allows users to make one or two wrong entries in a telephone number. For attributes such as postal codes, it makes sense to turn off typo tolerance for numbers since any typo will return many false positive results.

Change this default behavior by setting the allowTyposOnNumericTokens parameter to false or in the Typo-Tolerance section in the dashboard.

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Turn off typo tolerance for specific attributes

You can turn off typo tolerance for specific searchable attributes. This is useful, for example, to turn off typo tolerance on product SKU codes.

Specify the attributes with the disableTypoToleranceOnAttributes parameter or in the Typo-Tolerance section in the dashboard.

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Turn off typo tolerance for certain words

You can define a list of words for which you wish to turn typo tolerance off. This is useful, for example, with acronyms like “mysql,” “php”, or “mamp”.

Specify the words with the disableTypoToleranceOnWords parameter or in the Typo-Tolerance section in the dashboard.

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