'Your search query is wrong.' What should I do?
This can be due to some syntax error(s) in the way you wrote your query.
Here are the most common errors that you should correct:
The query starts with AND (all uppercase)
You cannot start a query with AND all uppercase. AND is reserved as a search operator.
The query starts with OR (all uppercase)
You cannot start a query with OR all uppercase. OR is reserved as a search operator.
The query contains only one double-quote (")
You cannot start or type a query with only one double quote. Double quotes are reserved as a search operator for exact phrase.
The query contains only one parenthesis ((or ))
You cannot start or type a query with only one parenthesis. Parenthesis are reserved for combining operators.
The query contains only one forward slash (/)
You cannot start or type a query with only one forward slash. Forward slashes are reserved for regular expressions (Regex).
The query starts with or contains tilde (~)
You cannot start a query with tilde (~) or write one which contains tilde. Tilde is reserved as a search operator for fuzziness or proximity searches.
![](https://icij.gitbook.io/~gitbook/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fblobscdn.gitbook.com%2Fv0%2Fb%2Fgitbook-28427.appspot.com%2Fo%2Fassets%252F-LWCyd3pDXO_H4jk9DgG%252F-LsX4JZonoD94VtqwHu3%252F-LsX7NMNxxM8MCBAJMe0%252FScreenshot%25202019-10-31%2520at%252015.03.59.png%3Falt%3Dmedia%26token%3D4001cf1d-8c3f-4bd2-80ec-bfc1ac836b8f&width=768&dpr=4&quality=100&sign=5cf5ccbd&sv=1)
![](https://icij.gitbook.io/~gitbook/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fblobscdn.gitbook.com%2Fv0%2Fb%2Fgitbook-28427.appspot.com%2Fo%2Fassets%252F-LWCyd3pDXO_H4jk9DgG%252F-LsX4JZonoD94VtqwHu3%252F-LsX77gU4JGqHeuvxo0T%252FScreenshot%25202019-10-31%2520at%252014.59.36.png%3Falt%3Dmedia%26token%3Dccb8d6a0-54a2-4289-8b33-df155c5acece&width=768&dpr=4&quality=100&sign=e9692b79&sv=1)
![](https://icij.gitbook.io/~gitbook/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fblobscdn.gitbook.com%2Fv0%2Fb%2Fgitbook-28427.appspot.com%2Fo%2Fassets%252F-LWCyd3pDXO_H4jk9DgG%252F-LsX4JZonoD94VtqwHu3%252F-LsX7BTzS63DgDW0Nyq2%252FScreenshot%25202019-10-31%2520at%252015.02.40.png%3Falt%3Dmedia%26token%3D30e9de1d-97b3-496b-b596-c83eb14e509f&width=768&dpr=4&quality=100&sign=aa8d16f3&sv=1)
The query ends with question mark (!)
You cannot end a query with question mark (!). Question mark is reserved as a search operator for excluding a term.
The query starts with or contains caret (^)
You cannot start a query with caret (^) or write one which contains caret. Caret is reserved as a boosting operator.
![](https://icij.gitbook.io/~gitbook/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fblobscdn.gitbook.com%2Fv0%2Fb%2Fgitbook-28427.appspot.com%2Fo%2Fassets%252F-LWCyd3pDXO_H4jk9DgG%252F-LsX4JZonoD94VtqwHu3%252F-LsX7wmdHRn3gT9-9xeL%252FScreenshot%25202019-10-31%2520at%252015.05.05.png%3Falt%3Dmedia%26token%3D6ac31c7a-dcd1-4b09-bf2c-02ec6e89f2a6&width=768&dpr=4&quality=100&sign=81203e51&sv=1)
![](https://icij.gitbook.io/~gitbook/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fblobscdn.gitbook.com%2Fv0%2Fb%2Fgitbook-28427.appspot.com%2Fo%2Fassets%252F-LWCyd3pDXO_H4jk9DgG%252F-LsX4JZonoD94VtqwHu3%252F-LsX8-0rSV6D_O2FzzWO%252FScreenshot%25202019-10-31%2520at%252015.06.28.png%3Falt%3Dmedia%26token%3D8a5b573b-e68f-4bdf-a991-ab4f40e4325c&width=768&dpr=4&quality=100&sign=fd3b2d39&sv=1)
The query contains square brackets ([ ])
You cannot use square brackets except for searching for ranges.
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