# Google corrects my Welsh! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 25, 2005, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-corrects-my-welsh/309847 "2005-06-25T23:25:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-corrects-my-welsh/309847/1 "2005-06-25T23:25:36Z")
(Disclaimer - this was what I’d call a ‘tangential vanity search’, but I think it’s interesting nonetheless) Search for: **"ystrad owain"** Response: **Did you mean: “ystradowen”?** I’m impressed - how did their system acquire this knowledge of Welsh parishes? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-corrects-my-welsh/309847/2 "2005-06-25T23:37:08Z")
It didn’t find very many matches to one grouping of letters and found some for something close. Google doesn’t know Welsh or English or any other language. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-corrects-my-welsh/309847/3 "2005-06-25T23:39:01Z")
No, it really is sentiant. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-corrects-my-welsh/309847/4 "2005-06-26T00:28:07Z")
Anybody else worry that Google is just a couple emergent capabilities away from becoming SkyNet? ---
**Author:** ![AmbushBug](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ambushbug/32/4600_2.png) [@AmbushBug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmbushBug)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-corrects-my-welsh/309847/5 "2005-06-26T00:28:48Z")
Did you mean: _[sentient](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2004-47,GGLD:en&q=sentient&spell=1)_ ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-corrects-my-welsh/309847/6 "2005-06-26T03:02:14Z")
When you build such a comprehensive database of words and websites, you get some amazing things for free. For example, [Google Sets](http://labs.google.com/sets) is a nifty use of the database for which (if my Comp Sci. knowledge is working for me) they didn’t have to do much to make happen. The particular feature you mention is kewl, except when you do something like search for [“jump rope” OR jumprope](http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&safe=off&c2coff=1&biw=1280&q=%22jump+rope%22+OR+jumprope&btnG=Search&meta=) and it goes and says ‘Did you mean: “jump rope” OR jump rope’ :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-corrects-my-welsh/309847/7 "2005-06-26T05:20:32Z")
> [@AmbushBug](#): > > Did you mean: _[sentient](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2004-47,GGLD:en&q=sentient&spell=1)_ Nope, he meant _sapient_. 😃 Sorry - pet peeve. ---
**Author:** ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-corrects-my-welsh/309847/8 "2005-06-26T11:21:40Z")
> [@Nanoda](#): > > The particular feature you mention is kewl, except when you do something like search for [“jump rope” OR jumprope](http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&safe=off&c2coff=1&biw=1280&q=%22jump+rope%22+OR+jumprope&btnG=Search&meta=) and it goes and says ‘Did you mean: “jump rope” OR jump rope’ :rolleyes: Er, perhaps it ought to say 'Did you mean “skipping rope”… ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-corrects-my-welsh/309847/9 "2005-06-26T12:03:06Z")
> [@Nanoda](#): > > For example, [Google Sets](http://labs.google.com/sets) is a nifty use of the database Now _that_ is clever. Never see that before, I can see that being very useful. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-corrects-my-welsh/309847/10 "2005-06-26T12:12:31Z")
Google set is indeed clever, but can make some odd and funny results. I put in ‘Coors’ and ‘Budweiser’ and resulting set had 8 more beers brands, well and good. Then it listed “Zima”, which is close enough, I suppose. But then next was “Batman”. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-corrects-my-welsh/309847/11 "2005-06-26T14:25:04Z")
Google sets is cool – just forwarded the link to myself at work so I can share it around the puzzle factory. It’s limited though: I tried “Lex Luthor, Mr. Clean, Yul Brynner, Telly Savalas” and it couldn’t come up with a single suggestion! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![j\_sum1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8baadc/32.png) [@j\_sum1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j_sum1)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-corrects-my-welsh/309847/12 "2005-06-27T00:57:14Z")
It couldn’t predict any of the remaining contents of the medicine cabinet.