Fuzzy Matching

Fuzzy matching is a technique used to find similarities between two pieces of data that aren’t exactly the same but are close enough. Imagine comparing names or words that might have typos, spelling differences, or slight variations—fuzzy matching helps identify these as a potential match. It’s like recognizing that “Jon Smith” and “John Smith” are likely the same person, even if they’re misspelled or slightly different. This approach is useful in data cleaning, search engines, and record linkage, making it easier to connect related information despite imperfect or inconsistent data.