Soundex is something that is often offered as a method of search on genealogy research websites. But, do you really know what it means and how to use it to your advantage when searching for your ancestors? Have you ever tried to use Soundex, but couldn’t figure out what to do with it? Then, you are missing out on some potentially excellent family history discoveries. Here is what you need to know about the Soundex, what it is, and how to use it.
Soundex is the name of a method of coding family names and indexing them based on the way the name is phonetically spelled. In Soundex, the code uses the first letter of the family surname, which is followed by three numbers that represent the first three phonetic sounds of that name. Family surnames that have similar sounds have similar Soundex codes.
