Is there a way to search for a specific word only, and not similar words?

[LightJuly]

I’m searching for comments about the pram brand Cosatto.

Advanced search is showing me results for Cosatto, Charlotte, Cosette, Costco and so on.

How do I search for a specific word?

If you're using the desktop site, at the top right of the screen, above the Follow Topic Start Thread buttons, is a link called Advance Search. You can search for single words that way

Google : mumsnet “cosatto”

This is exactly how I do it - but it never just searches for that word only.

Advanced search used to bring up that word only, but when they updated search, it changed.

I've just searched using advanced search on the website (on my phone) and it brings up only cosatto in the results. Are you using the app?

The other way, as @Elephantsarenottheonlyfruit says is to Google. If you type "site://www.mumsnet.com/talk cosatto" it will return all threads with that word.

I’m on my phone browser too. If you narrow the search’s date range you can see more easily how similar words are included.

For example, advanced search for Cosatto for threads from 1st June onwards brings up Costco and all the other words.

It’s not just this key word. It happens frequently with other words, usernames and so on. This is just the first time I’ve been annoyed enough to post about it.

Yes, one can search Google etc but I just want MN to return their own search to the way it used to be!

Hi there @LightJuly . We've just tried it in Advanced Search too and it's working for us. Can we check - you're definitely on the main site (not the app) on your mobile phone? Can you also tell us what type of device you are using and which browser, too? We'll see if we can work out what's going wrong here.

iPhone safari browser. All iOS up to date.

I’ve just repeated the search. The search returns say half a dozen Cosatto threads, then the attached.

As I say, it isn’t only Cosatto. It‘s happened plenty of times with other searches I’ve made, this is just the first time I’ve posted about it! 😁

Google
"Cosatto" -Charlotte -Cosette -Costco site:mumsnet.com

"" means the page must include these words
The minus sign means exclude pages that have these words
The site: means restrict results to pages within the mumsnet domain (no space either side of the colon)
(Edit - the .com is vital and I think may have been autocorrected out!)

Interesting. I have had this also.

So I sometimes like to look at the Wordle threads for eg (to check how useless I am compared to others) but they don't come up in my active.

If I have the advance search set to 'relevance' it is pretty accurate. But it doesn't bring up the latest thread (it starts from 2022 for eg). If I change the search to 'newest' it is all over the place and throws up others words - like your search.

If you go on Google and type in cossato travel system mumnet the thread from 2019 comes straight up and you can read it

I've just googled again, cosatto pram mumsnet, loads of threads have come up about it including 2024

Thing is - MN has a search function, we shouldn’t have to use Google. And it’s all very well Googling without those terms in that specific instance, but if I searched for another key word, I don’t know at that initial stage what similar words I need to exclude.

This should be a simple fix for MN, to set the parameters to ‘exact word only.’

I've just typed cossato pram into the mumsnet search and the threads come up, this is from an ipad though

I have a vague recollection of mentioning this when the new "improved" search was introduced. I was told It is deliberate to account for typos.

ridiculous if you ask me but there you go.

Aha! Hmm…

OK so the typo thing makes sense. I just did "wordle" and it was accurate - for newest first also.

So if you do, as pp suggested "Cosatto" in the search it should be better? (Hopefully!)

Speech marks work on Google, but not on here sadly!

Just tried a search for ‘sheets’ and it brings up posts with ‘sheep’ and ‘sheer,’ among others.

If you could add a check mark to search to say ‘exact word/phrase’ only, that’d be super helpful @HebeMumsnet. Thank you!

Try double " not single ' ? That worked for me!

Yes, whether I use double, single, or no speech marks, searching for Cosatto mentions from 1st June always brings up 197 threads, i.e. threads with similar words are not excluded.

We'll definitely pass that idea on and see if it's possible @LightJuly

And yes, as PPs have said, double quotes bring up exact word or phrase too. So typing "Mumsnet chicken" will bring up only threads with those two specific words together. That might help with searches a bit.

This doesn’t work if the search is a single word.

Cosatto, ‘cosatto,’ and “cosatto” all bring up Costco, cosette, Charlotte and so on. So I am stuck with the original issue. We’re not able to search for exact single words?

There's a box on the advanced search page called 'Exclude words' so put Charlotte, Costco, cosette etc into there and the search will exclude threads with those words in them.

Again, it’s all very well excluding those terms in that specific instance, but if I searched for another key word, I don’t know at that initial stage what similar words I would need to exclude.