# I can't keyword-search on a three-word phrase within quotes **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [February 28, 2014, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-keyword-search-on-a-three-word-phrase-within-quotes/682554 "2014-02-28T23:03:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-keyword-search-on-a-three-word-phrase-within-quotes/682554/1 "2014-02-28T23:03:42Z")
Every time I try I get “Page cannot be displayed.” Suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-keyword-search-on-a-three-word-phrase-within-quotes/682554/2 "2014-02-28T23:07:27Z")
And now I get the same results with a **two** -word phrase. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-keyword-search-on-a-three-word-phrase-within-quotes/682554/3 "2014-02-28T23:25:23Z")
The phrases were “of good will” and “good will.” I know you can’t search for words of fewer than four letters – but that should not apply in a phrase-search, should it? The word “of” is too commonplace, the phrase “of good will” not so. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-keyword-search-on-a-three-word-phrase-within-quotes/682554/4 "2014-02-28T23:30:19Z")
[SDMB: “of good will”](https://www.google.com/search?num=50&newwindow=1&safe=off&hl=en&q=%22of+good+will%22+site%3Aboards.straightdope.com&oq=%22of+good+will%22+site%3Aboards.straightdope.com&gs_l=serp.12...0.0.0.69823.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0....0...1c..36.serp..0.0.0.yO3ALTAAoZI) ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2014, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-keyword-search-on-a-three-word-phrase-within-quotes/682554/5 "2014-03-01T00:17:09Z")
There are lots of words that are too common to search on using the board search. I can’t do a vanity search on my name because “itself” is too common. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-keyword-search-on-a-three-word-phrase-within-quotes/682554/6 "2014-03-02T05:01:07Z")
I don’t thing using quotes to find a phrase works at all. I just searched for “should not apply”, and the posts did not contain that phrase, just some posts with “should” and “apply”. Here’s what the board did search on (from the top of the results page): > [@](#): > > Search: Keyword(s): “should, -apply” And the two most recent posts it found were from 2008 and 2003, so only vBulletin knows exactly how it got those results. If you want a phrase search, use Google. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-keyword-search-on-a-three-word-phrase-within-quotes/682554/7 "2014-03-02T21:23:04Z")
You can do it in Google but not through the board search engine, which will NOT sort on anything with three letters or less. Google’s always your best bet anyway. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=638051](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=638051) ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-keyword-search-on-a-three-word-phrase-within-quotes/682554/8 "2014-03-04T18:41:15Z")
Applause for TubaDiva. She is always your best bet anyway.