---
title: Match phrase prefix query
description: Returns documents that contain the words of a provided text, in the same order as provided. The last term of the provided text is treated as a prefix,...
url: https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/reference/query-languages/query-dsl/query-dsl-match-query-phrase-prefix
products:
  - Elasticsearch
---

# Match phrase prefix query
Returns documents that contain the words of a provided text, in the **same order** as provided. The last term of the provided text is treated as a [prefix](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/reference/query-languages/query-dsl/query-dsl-prefix-query), matching any words that begin with that term.

## Example request

The following search returns documents that contain phrases beginning with `quick brown f` in the `message` field.
This search would match a `message` value of `quick brown fox` or `two quick brown ferrets` but not `the fox is quick and brown`.
```json

{
  "query": {
    "match_phrase_prefix": {
      "message": {
        "query": "quick brown f"
      }
    }
  }
}
```


## Top-level parameters for `match_phrase_prefix`

<definitions>
  <definition term="<field>">
    (Required, object) Field you wish to search.
  </definition>
</definitions>


## Parameters for `<field>`

<definitions>
  <definition term="query">
    (Required, string) Text you wish to find in the provided `<field>`.
  </definition>
</definitions>

The `match_phrase_prefix` query [analyzes](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/manage-data/data-store/text-analysis) any provided text into tokens before performing a search. The last term of this text is treated as a [prefix](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/reference/query-languages/query-dsl/query-dsl-prefix-query), matching any words that begin with that term.
<definitions>
  <definition term="analyzer">
    (Optional, string) [Analyzer](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/manage-data/data-store/text-analysis) used to convert text in the `query` value into tokens. Defaults to the [index-time analyzer](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/manage-data/data-store/text-analysis/specify-an-analyzer#specify-index-time-analyzer) mapped for the `<field>`. If no analyzer is mapped, the index’s default analyzer is used.
  </definition>
  <definition term="max_expansions">
    (Optional, integer) Maximum number of terms to which the last provided term of the `query` value will expand. Defaults to `50`.
  </definition>
  <definition term="slop">
    (Optional, integer) Maximum number of positions allowed between matching tokens. Defaults to `0`. Transposed terms have a slop of `2`.
  </definition>
  <definition term="zero_terms_query">
    (Optional, string) Indicates whether no documents are returned if the `analyzer` removes all tokens, such as when using a `stop` filter. Valid values are:
  </definition>
  <definition term="none (Default)">
    No documents are returned if the `analyzer` removes all tokens.
  </definition>
  <definition term="all">
    Returns all documents, similar to a [`match_all`](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/reference/query-languages/query-dsl/query-dsl-match-all-query) query.
  </definition>
</definitions>


## Notes


### Using the match phrase prefix query for search autocompletion

While easy to set up, using the `match_phrase_prefix` query for search autocompletion can sometimes produce confusing results.
For example, consider the query string `quick brown f`. This query works by creating a phrase query out of `quick` and `brown` (i.e. the term `quick` must exist and must be followed by the term `brown`). Then it looks at the sorted term dictionary to find the first 50 terms that begin with `f`, and adds these terms to the phrase query.
The problem is that the first 50 terms may not include the term `fox` so the phrase `quick brown fox` will not be found. This usually isn’t a problem as the user will continue to type more letters until the word they are looking for appears.
For better solutions for *search-as-you-type* check out the [completion suggester](/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/reference/elasticsearch/rest-apis/search-suggesters#completion-suggester) and the [`search_as_you_type` field type](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/reference/elasticsearch/mapping-reference/search-as-you-type).