Phonetic Encoder API

GET

Match similar-sounding names even when they are misspelled.

Phonetic Encoder generates phonetic codes for words using Soundex and Metaphone algorithms. These codes represent how words sound, enabling fuzzy matching of similar-sounding names.

Try it — live request, no key required

Request

GETapi.apiverve.com/v1/phonetic?word=smith

Query parameters

wordstring

Verification

Format

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

Example

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "word": "smith",
    "soundex": "S530",
    "metaphone": "SM0"
  }
}

About the Phonetic Encoder API

Compare two words to check if they sound alike, or encode individual words for database indexing and search applications. Essential for name matching, spell checking, and genealogical research.

What people use it for

Name Matching: Find similar names despite spelling variations
Search Enhancement: Improve search results with phonetic matching
Data Deduplication: Identify duplicate records with name variations
Genealogy Research: Match historical records with spelling variations

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 Phonetic Encoder

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 Phonetic Encoder API.

Read the docs →

How many word comparisons does the Free plan cover?

The Free plan covers 100 requests each month at 2 credits per call. If you need higher volume, the Starter plan provides 100,000 calls each month, which works out to about $0.30 per 1,000 calls.

Which phonetic algorithms does the API support?

Phonetic Encoder supports both Soundex and Metaphone algorithms. You can retrieve both phonetic codes in a single request or specify an algorithm parameter when encoding or comparing words.

Can I check if two words sound alike in one call?

Yes. The Compare Words endpoint takes two words and determines if they sound phonetically identical, returning boolean match values alongside the generated codes for each algorithm.

Can I use this to index names in my own database for fuzzy search?

Yes. The Encode Word endpoint takes individual words and returns their Soundex and Metaphone codes. You can store these codes as search index keys in your database to deduplicate records or find alternative spellings.

What happens if two words match under Soundex but not Metaphone?

The compare endpoint evaluates each algorithm independently. The response includes separate match properties and individual codes for both Soundex and Metaphone, letting you handle cases where one algorithm finds a match and the other does not.

Request parameters — GET /v1/phonetic

Sent in the query string. 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
`word`Required	string	`smith`	The word to encode phonetically

Optional

Parameter	Type	Example	Description
`algorithm`Optional	string	`both`	Algorithm to use `soundexmetaphoneboth` default both

Example request

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curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/phonetic?word=smith&algorithm=both" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

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.

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 — GET /v1/phonetic

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": {
    "word": "smith",
    "soundex": "S530",
    "metaphone": "SM0"
  }
}

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
`word`	string	`"smith"`	Original word that was encoded
`soundex`	string	`"S530"`	Soundex phonetic code for the word
`metaphone`	string	`"SM0"`	Metaphone phonetic code for the word

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	Phonetic Encoder 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 — GET /v1/phonetic

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/phonetic 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/phonetic" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Resources

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

Also published for

@apiverve/phoneticnpm APIVerve.API.PhoneticEncoderNuGet

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

Call it from Node.js — GET /v1/phonetic

Install the Node.js SDK, then call the Phonetic Encoder 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/phonetic

Node.js

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

Resources

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

Also published for

APIVerve.API.PhoneticEncoderNuGet

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

Call it from Python — GET /v1/phonetic

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/phonetic 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/phonetic",
    headers={"x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)
print(res.json()["data"])

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/phoneticnpm APIVerve.API.PhoneticEncoderNuGet

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

Call it from C# / .NET — GET /v1/phonetic

Install the C# / .NET SDK, then call the Phonetic Encoder 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.PhoneticEncoder

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/phonetic");
Console.WriteLine(json);

Resources

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

Also published for

@apiverve/phoneticnpm

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

Call it from Go — GET /v1/phonetic

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/phonetic 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/phonetic", 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/phoneticnpm APIVerve.API.PhoneticEncoderNuGet

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

Call it from PHP — GET /v1/phonetic

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

PHP

$ch = curl_init("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/phonetic");
curl_setopt($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/phoneticnpm APIVerve.API.PhoneticEncoderNuGet

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

Call it from Ruby — GET /v1/phonetic

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/phonetic 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/phonetic")
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/phoneticnpm APIVerve.API.PhoneticEncoderNuGet

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

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Phonetic Encoder API

Try it — live request, no key required

About the Phonetic Encoder API

What people use it for

Ways to call it

Other ways to use Phonetic Encoder

Questions.

Request parameters — GET /v1/phonetic

Required

Optional

Authentication

Response — GET /v1/phonetic

Response fields

Response headers

Errors

What a call costs — 2 credits per call

Call it from cURL — GET /v1/phonetic

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Node.js — GET /v1/phonetic

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Python — GET /v1/phonetic

Resources

Also published for

Call it from C# / .NET — GET /v1/phonetic

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Go — GET /v1/phonetic

Resources

Also published for

Call it from PHP — GET /v1/phonetic

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Ruby — GET /v1/phonetic

Resources

Also published for

Zero-code embed — one snippet, no backend

Changelog — Phonetic Encoder API

Text Processing

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