Levenshtein Distance API

POST

Score the similarity between any two pieces of text.

Levenshtein Distance calculates the minimum number of single-character edits needed to transform one string into another.

Try it — live request, no key required

Request

POSTapi.apiverve.com/v1/levenshteindistance

Body

string1string

string2string

Verification

Format

No key required to try it. Get a key to use it in your app.

Example

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "distance": 3,
    "similarity": 57.14,
    "matchLevel": "medium",
    "string1Length": 6,
    "string2Length": 7,
    "string1": "kitten",
    "string2": "sitting"
  }
}

About the Levenshtein Distance API

Ideal for spell checking, fuzzy matching, plagiarism detection, and any application requiring string similarity measurement.

What people use it for

Spell Checking: Calculate similarity between misspelled words and dictionary entries
Fuzzy Search: Implement approximate string matching for search engines
Plagiarism Detection: Measure text similarity for detecting copied content
Data Deduplication: Identify near-duplicate records in databases

Ways to call it

One endpoint, many ways in — REST with JSON, XML, YAML and CSV, plus GraphQL and an MCP interface for AI agents.

JSON: Default REST response
XML: Markup format
YAML: Human-readable
CSV: Tabular export
GraphQL: Query language
MCP: For AI agents

View all integrations →

Other ways to use Levenshtein Distance

Same data, same APIVerve account, same credit balance — one key works on all of them.

Give it to an AI agentConnect over MCP and your agent calls it as a native tool — Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT.on VerveKit Google Sheets or ExcelA =VERVE() formula fills a column — no script, no export, recalculates in place.on VerveSheets

Questions.

Common questions about the Levenshtein Distance API.

Read the docs →

How far does the Starter plan go for string comparisons?

Starter covers 100,000 comparisons every month at 2 credits per call. That works out to about $0.30 per 1,000 comparisons. If you only need to run quick tests, the Free plan includes 100 comparisons each month.

How long can the text inputs be?

Both strings can be up to 10,000 characters each. You can compare short search terms, sentences, or multi-paragraph texts without issue, provided neither input exceeds that 10,000-character ceiling.

Are the input strings and character lengths included on the Free plan?

No. The Free plan returns the edit distance, similarity percentage, and match level, but omits the echoed input strings and their character counts. Any paid plan unlocks the echoed strings and length values in every response.

What similarity metrics does each comparison return?

Each request returns the raw Levenshtein edit distance representing the minimum single-character edits needed to match the strings. It also calculates a similarity percentage from 0 to 100 and assigns a match level of exact, high, medium, low, or none.

Can I use this for spell checking and fuzzy search?

Yes. The calculation measures character insertions, deletions, and substitutions between two inputs. That makes it well suited for spell checking, fuzzy search ranking, typo correction, and deduplicating customer records.

Request parameters — POST /v1/levenshteindistance

Sent as JSON in the request body. Premium parameters are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them. Anything not listed here is dropped rather than passed through.

Required

Parameter	Type	Example	Description
`string1`Required	string	`kitten`	First string to compare (max 10,000 characters)
`string2`Required	string	`sitting`	Second string to compare (max 10,000 characters)

Example request

curl -X POST "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/levenshteindistance" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"string1":"kitten","string2":"sitting"}'

Authentication

Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — no token exchange, and no per-endpoint scope to configure.

Header	When	Value
`x-api-key`Required	Every request	Your API key. Header names are case-insensitive, so `X-API-Key` is the same header.
`Authorization`Alternate	Instead of the above	`Bearer <key>` — for clients that only expose bearer auth. Resolves to the same account and the same billing.
`content-type`Required	POST body	`application/json`

401 is the only auth verdict

A 401 means the key is missing, invalid or expired. A 403 means the key is valid but not permitted here — blocked by a key restriction or an IP allow-list. Running out of credits is a 429.

Response — POST /v1/levenshteindistance

Every APIVerve endpoint returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape.

Sample response

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "distance": 3,
    "similarity": 57.14,
    "matchLevel": "medium",
    "string1Length": 6,
    "string2Length": 7,
    "string1": "kitten",
    "string2": "sitting"
  }
}

Response fields

Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.

Field	Type	Example	Description
`distance`	number	`3`	The Levenshtein edit distance between the two strings
`similarity`	number	`57.14`	Similarity percentage from 0 to 100
`matchLevel`	string	`"medium"`	Similarity level: exact, high, medium, low, or none
`string1Length`Premium	number	`6`	Length of the first string
`string2Length`Premium	number	`7`	Length of the second string
`string1`Premium	string	`"kitten"`	The first input string
`string2`Premium	string	`"sitting"`	The second input string

Response headers

Every response carries your balance, so your own code always knows where it stands without polling anything. All four are exposed to browsers through CORS.

Header	What it carries
`x-api-remaining-credits`	Credits left in the current cycle
`x-api-credits-used`	Credits spent in the current cycle
`x-api-max-credits`	The allowance for the cycle
`x-api-version`	Version of the endpoint that answered

Errors

Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change.

Status	Meaning	What to do
`400`	Input was rejected	Read `error`; it names the parameter that has to change.
`401`	Key missing or invalid	Check the header name and the key value.
`403`	Key valid, but not permitted here	A key restriction or an IP allow-list — never a bad key.
`429`	Rate limited, or out of credits	Read `error` to tell them apart, then back off or top up.

What a call costs — 2 credits per call

Credits are shared across every APIVerve API — one balance, one key, one bill. Failed requests never count against it, so a rejected input costs nothing.

Plan	Per month	Credits	Levenshtein Distance calls	Per 1,000 calls
Free	Free	200	100	Free
Starter	$29.99	200,000	100,000	$0.30
Pro	$99.99	1,000,000	500,000	$0.20
Mega	$299.99	4,000,000	2,000,000	$0.15

Calls are what the credits buy at this API's rate — spend them here, on any of the other APIs, or across both. Nothing is reserved per endpoint.

Compare all pricing tiers →

Call it from cURL — POST /v1/levenshteindistance

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/levenshteindistance with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

cURL

1
2

curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/levenshteindistance" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Resources

GitHubapiverve/levenshteindistance-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceLevenshtein Distance API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/levenshteindistancenpm APIVerve.API.LevenshteinDistanceNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Node.js — POST /v1/levenshteindistance

Install the Node.js SDK, then call the Levenshtein Distance API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.

Install — npm

npm install @apiverve/levenshteindistance

Node.js

const res = await fetch("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/levenshteindistance", {
  headers: { "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" },
});
const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);

Resources

npm@apiverve/levenshteindistanceThe published Node.js client, versioned and signed.GitHubapiverve/levenshteindistance-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceLevenshtein Distance API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

APIVerve.API.LevenshteinDistanceNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Python — POST /v1/levenshteindistance

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/levenshteindistance with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

Python

import requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/levenshteindistance",
    headers={"x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)
print(res.json()["data"])

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/levenshteindistancenpm APIVerve.API.LevenshteinDistanceNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from C# / .NET — POST /v1/levenshteindistance

Install the C# / .NET SDK, then call the Levenshtein Distance API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.

Install — NuGet

dotnet add package APIVerve.API.LevenshteinDistance

C# / .NET

using var client = new HttpClient();
client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("x-api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY");

var json = await client.GetStringAsync("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/levenshteindistance");
Console.WriteLine(json);

Resources

NuGetAPIVerve.API.LevenshteinDistanceThe published C# / .NET client, versioned and signed.GitHubapiverve/levenshteindistance-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceLevenshtein Distance API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/levenshteindistancenpm

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Go — POST /v1/levenshteindistance

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/levenshteindistance with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/levenshteindistance", nil)
req.Header.Set("x-api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY")

res, _ := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
defer res.Body.Close()
body, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
fmt.Println(string(body))

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/levenshteindistancenpm APIVerve.API.LevenshteinDistanceNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from PHP — POST /v1/levenshteindistance

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/levenshteindistance with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

PHP

$ch = curl_init("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/levenshteindistance");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, ["x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"]);

$response = curl_exec($ch);
echo $response;

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/levenshteindistancenpm APIVerve.API.LevenshteinDistanceNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Ruby — POST /v1/levenshteindistance

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/levenshteindistance with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

Ruby

require "net/http"

uri = URI("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/levenshteindistance")
req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
req["x-api-key"] = "YOUR_API_KEY"

res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |h| h.request(req) }
puts res.body

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/levenshteindistancenpm APIVerve.API.LevenshteinDistanceNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

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Levenshtein Distance API

Try it — live request, no key required

About the Levenshtein Distance API

What people use it for

Ways to call it

Other ways to use Levenshtein Distance

Questions.

Request parameters — POST /v1/levenshteindistance

Required

Authentication

Response — POST /v1/levenshteindistance

Response fields

Response headers

Errors

What a call costs — 2 credits per call

Call it from cURL — POST /v1/levenshteindistance

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Node.js — POST /v1/levenshteindistance

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Python — POST /v1/levenshteindistance

Resources

Also published for

Call it from C# / .NET — POST /v1/levenshteindistance

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Go — POST /v1/levenshteindistance

Resources

Also published for

Call it from PHP — POST /v1/levenshteindistance

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Ruby — POST /v1/levenshteindistance

Resources

Also published for

Zero-code embed — one snippet, no backend

Changelog — Levenshtein Distance API

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