Using Wildcards in Word 2016 Search

Microsoft Word offers a powerful search feature that lets you search for text, numbers, formatting, and even wildcards. Wildcards allow you to perform more advanced searches and find a variety of patterns and specific occurrences in your document. Below is a guide on how to use wildcards and some examples to get you started.

How to Enable Wildcards for Searching

1. Open the Find and Replace Dialog:
   • Go to the Home tab in Word’s Ribbon and click the Replace button.
2. Expand the Search Options:
   • In the Find and Replace window, click More to expand the search options (if you see a “Less” button instead, you’re already set).
3. Enable Wildcards:
   • Check the Use Wildcards box.
   • Once enabled, the option is visible under the “Find what” box.
4. Access Special Characters:
   • Click Special to view a list of wildcard characters you can use in your search.

Wildcard Characters and What They Do

1. Asterisk (*) – Matches Any Number of Characters
   • Use the asterisk to represent any number of characters.
     Example: Searching for “Th*” will find words like “The,” “That,” “There,” etc.
   • Note: Word is case-sensitive when wildcards are enabled. “Th*” and “th*” will yield different results.
2. Question Mark (?) – Matches a Single Character
   • The question mark is used to represent a single character.
     Example: Searching for “d?g” will find “dog,” “dug,” and “dig.”
3. At Sign (@) – Matches One or More Occurrences of the Previous Character
   • The at sign is used to find one or more occurrences of the previous character.
     Example: “ro@t” would match “rot,” “root,” “rooooot,” and more.
4. Curly Brackets ({ and }) – Specifies Exact Number of Occurrences
   • Use curly brackets to specify an exact number of occurrences.
     Example: “ro{2}t” matches “root” but not “rot” or “rooooot.”
5. Angle Brackets (< and >) – Marks the Beginning and End of a Word
   • Use angle brackets to search for whole words.
     Example: “<but>” will find the word “but” but not “butterfly.”
6. Square Brackets ([ and ]) – Finds Specific Characters or Ranges
   • Use square brackets to search for characters or ranges.
     Example: “[a-z]” finds any lowercase letter, and “[0-9]” finds any digit.
7. Parentheses () – Groups Search Terms Into Sequences
   • Use parentheses to group terms in your search.
     Example: To reverse names like “Griggs Amelia” to “Amelia Griggs,” search for “(Griggs) (Amelia)” and replace with “\2 \1.”
8. Backslash () – Escapes Special Characters
   • If you need to search for a character that’s also a wildcard (like the asterisk or question mark), use a backslash to escape it.
     Example: Searching for an asterisk while using wildcards? Type “/?” to find an actual question mark.

Tips for Using Wildcards Effectively

• Experiment: Wildcards can be combined for more complex searches. Try different combinations to narrow down your results.
• Use on Test Copies: When performing search and replace, test your wildcard searches on a copy of the document first to avoid unintended changes.
• Be Specific: Wildcards are useful for searching patterns, so be specific about your search criteria to avoid broad or irrelevant results.

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