INCLUDE and EXCLUDE

A plain quoted phrase requires one set of words. INCLUDE and EXCLUDE go further. One requires extra wording from the same document; the other leaves out every document that uses a phrase you do not want.

How to write them

Both take a phrase in double quotes, with or without a colon: EXCLUDE "works" and EXCLUDE:"works" mean the same thing. The quotes are what make it an operator. EXCLUDE works without them is just two more words to search by. Curly quotes work too, as long as the operator is in capitals or followed by a colon, so the word "include" inside a pasted sentence stays text. Either operator can go anywhere in the query, in capitals or not, and each shows as a pill under the search bar labeled Include or Exclude.

EXCLUDE: leave a phrase out

EXCLUDE removes every document whose passages or title contain the phrase. The whole document goes, not only the passage that carries the phrase. Up to five phrases count in one query.

A very common phrase, one found in tens of thousands of passages, is handled differently. The search hides the matching passages one by one instead of removing whole documents, and the page can come back with fewer cards than usual.

INCLUDE: require more wording

INCLUDE keeps a result only when its document also contains the phrase, either with the words together in one passage or in the document's title, subtitle, speaker, author or topics. Up to three phrases count, and a document must satisfy every one of them.

A very common INCLUDE phrase is required in each passage shown rather than anywhere in the document, so those searches can also return fewer cards.

How this differs from plain quotes

• Only the first plain quoted phrase in a query counts; a second pair of quotes stays in the text as ordinary words. INCLUDE phrases stack, up to three.
• Quotes that belong to INCLUDE or EXCLUDE are not the plain phrase, so you can still add one plain quoted phrase beside them.
• Words match by their root, as with plain quotes, so EXCLUDE "covenant" also removes "covenants".

Combining operators

Both work alongside a quoted phrase, SPEAKER: and TOPIC:. Each one narrows the set a little further.

The operator cheat sheet lists every operator and its limit on one page.