Zing indexes punctuation as part of some words

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Zing Indexes Punctuation as Part of Some Words

    Zing enhances search results by indexing certain punctuation marks as part of words, particularly for common search terms. This approach helps improve the accuracy of search results for company names, product numbers, and other terms containing specific punctuation. Understanding how Zing indexes these characters can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your searches.

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    Key Features

    • Ampersands (&), Plus Signs (+), Hyphens (-): Zing indexes these characters in company names. Searches like "H&R Block" or "Coca-Cola" return exact matches.
    • Apostrophes ('): Proper names are indexed, with trailing possessives ignored. For example, "O'Reilly's" retrieves results for both "O'Reilly" and "O'Reilly's."
    • Periods (.): Zing recognizes acronyms whether separated by periods or not, e.g., "u.s.a." and "usa." Additionally, it locates host names and IP addresses formatted with periods.
    • Numbers [123]: Zing identifies product and record numbers that follow specific patterns, allowing for searches like "PROD-10-987" or "INT1234567" to yield exact matches.
    • Underscores (): Like hyphens and periods, underscores are part of the indexed product number patterns.

    Key Outcomes

    By understanding how Zing processes punctuation, ServiceNow customers can expect improved search precision for relevant terms. Utilizing the correct formatting in search queries ensures that users can quickly locate the exact information they need, enhancing overall productivity and user experience within the platform.

    Zing indexes some punctuation marks as part of some words to improve search results for common search terms.

    Table 1. Punctuation indexed as part of a word
    Punctuation Indexed to find Search behavior
    Ampersands [&] Company names Zing locates terms containing punctuation characters that are common in company names: ampersands (&), plus signs (+), or hyphens (-).

    For example, a search for H&R Block locates exact matches to the search term.
    Apostrophes ['] Proper names Zing ignores trailing possessives and retains most others to find company names.

    For example, a search for O'Reilly's locates matches to O'Reilly and O'Reilly's.
    Hyphens [-] Company names Zing locates terms containing punctuation characters that are common in company names: ampersands (&), plus signs (+), or hyphens (-).

    For example, a search for Coca-Cola locates exact matches to the search term.
    Product numbers Zing locates product numbers that follow a typical pattern. To meet this pattern, search terms must contain frequent numbers and only include underscores (_), hyphens (-), or periods for punctuation.

    For example, a search for PROD-10-987 locates exact matches to the search term.
    Numbers [123] Product numbers Zing locates product numbers that follow a typical pattern. To meet this pattern, search terms must contain frequent numbers and only include underscores (_), hyphens (-), or periods for punctuation.

    For example, a search for PROD10987 locates exact matches to the search term.
    Record numbers Zing locates record numbers that follow a typical pattern. To meet this pattern, search terms must start with a recognized record number prefix.

    For example, a search for INT1234567 locates exact matches to the Incident record.
    Periods [.] Acronyms Zing locates acronyms whether they are separated by periods or not.

    For example, a search for u.s.a. locates matches to usa or u.s.a.. Note that wildcard searches may affect acronym handling.

    In another example, a search for u.s.* may yield better results than a search for u.s*.
    Host names Zing locates sequences of letters and numbers separated only by periods.

    For example, a search for en.myhost123.com locates exact matches to the search term.
    IP addresses Zing locates numbers that follow a typical IPv4 address pattern.

    For example, a search for 10.0.0.1 locates exact matches to the search term.
    Product numbers Zing locates product numbers that follow a typical pattern. To meet this pattern, search terms must contain frequent numbers and only include underscores (_), hyphens (-), or periods for punctuation.

    For example, a search for PROD.10.987 locates exact matches to the search term.
    Plus signs [+] Company names Zing locates terms containing punctuation characters that are common in company names: ampersands (&), plus signs (+), or hyphens (-).

    For example, a search for Google+ locates exact matches to the search term.
    Underscores [_] Product numbers Zing locates product numbers that follow a typical pattern. To meet this pattern, search terms must contain frequent numbers and only include underscores (_), hyphens (-), or periods for punctuation.

    For example, a search for PROD_10_987 locates exact matches to the search term.
    Note:
    The punctuation handling described here doesn't affect wildcard and boolean operators. These operators provide separate Zing functions.