---
title: "How to search for an exact match"
date: 2026-04-23
author: "GravityKit"
link: "https://www.gravitykit.com/docs/gravityview/search/how-to-search-for-an-exact-match/"
---

## In order to search for exact matches in GravityView, use quotes around words.

GravityView supports [exact-match search using Search Modifiers](https://www.gravitykit.com/docs/gravityview/advanced/gravityview-search-modifiers/).

## Ar**kansas** and Kansas

What happens if you have a form with a United States "State" field and you search for Kansas? That depends on the type of search: exact-match or not.

## With exact-match:

If you search for Kansas surrounded by double-quotes ("Kansas"), only the value matching exactly Kansas will appear, but Arkansas will not.

## Without exact-match:

When searching for a value without quotes, GravityView will use the *contains* operator; if you search for the word Kansas, results containing that word, like "Arkansas", will also show up:

![Search results for "Kansas" show three entries: Bob (Arkansas), Charlie (Arkansas), Alice (Kansas)](https://www.gravitykit.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/file-eXl5qDTz1R.png)
*Learn more about fine-tuning search results in GravityView [in this more detailed article](https://www.gravitykit.com/docs/gravityview/advanced/gravityview-search-modifiers/)*