Converts a string into its phonetic equivalent.
SOUNDEX(expression)
expression is any DataBasic expression. Any nonalphabetic characters in expression are ignored.
This function converts expression to upper case and then returns the first alphabetic character, followed by a 1- to 3-character phonetic code.
The codes are:
| Code | Letters |
|---|---|
| 1 | B, F, P, V |
| 2 | C, G, J, K, Q, S, X, Z |
| 3 | D, T |
| 4 | L |
| 5 | M, N |
| 6 | R |
When the SOUNDEX function assigns the phonetic code, it ignores the letters A, E, H, I, O, U, W, and Y and all non-alphabetic characters. Duplicate codes that run consecutively are not repeated.
You can use the SOUNDEX function to protect against strings not matching due to mispelling. However, do not accept the SOUNDEX conclusions without some confirmation.
F1 = SOUNDEX("A TEST")
PRINT F1
Prints A323.
A = "LAMINATE" B = SOUNDEX(A)
B is L53 because the I is ignored and M and N are considered phonetically equivalent.
PRINT SOUNDEX("mmm")Prints M5.