{
  "kind": "fact",
  "studySlug": "query-translation",
  "slug": "the-exact-match-rate-is-only-zero-point-one-seven-percent",
  "title": "The exact match rate is only 0.17%",
  "description": "In a study analyzing how artificial intelligence translates user questions, researchers evaluated 11521 prompt-to-query transformations. The analysis revealed that only 20 pairs resulted in an exact match, yielding an exact match rate of 0.17 percent.",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-01-22",
  "lastTested": "2026-01-22",
  "sourceStudyUrl": "/trakkr-research/query-translation",
  "sourceStudyTitle": "How AI Translates Your Questions",
  "claimIds": [
    "query-translation:exact-match",
    "query-translation:pairs"
  ],
  "relatedSlugs": [
    "answer:does-ai-search-your-exact-words",
    "answer:how-aggressive-are-ai-query-rewrites",
    "tracker:query-rewrite-pattern-tracker"
  ],
  "methodologySummary": "Built from 11,521 captured prompt-to-query pairs observed in OpenAI web search calls, with 100% search-query coverage in the sampled dataset.",
  "limitations": [
    "This study reflects captured search-query transformations rather than every hidden retrieval step a model may perform.",
    "Some inserted entities reflect category heuristics or market leaders rather than final recommendation outcomes.",
    "The underlying dataset is concentrated in commercial and research prompts rather than all possible conversational traffic."
  ],
  "keywords": [
    "query translation",
    "AI search rewrites",
    "prompt rewriting",
    "AI retrieval behavior"
  ],
  "schemaHints": {
    "pageType": "Article",
    "includeDataset": true
  },
  "claim": "Only 0.17 percent of 11521 prompt-to-query pairs matched exactly in the query translation study.",
  "supportingMetrics": [
    {
      "label": "Exact match rate",
      "value": "0.17%",
      "detail": "Only 20 of 11,521 pairs matched exactly."
    },
    {
      "label": "Prompt-query pairs",
      "value": "11,521",
      "detail": "Captured prompt-to-query transformations."
    }
  ],
  "whyItMatters": "Strategists and operators must recognize that answer optimization requires targeting retrieval rewrites rather than relying solely on user-language prompts, as the system fundamentally alters the input before executing the search.",
  "citationBlock": {
    "quote": "Only 0.17% of prompt-to-query pairs matched exactly in the query translation study.",
    "attribution": "How AI Translates Your Questions - Trakkr Research",
    "url": "https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/query-translation/facts/the-exact-match-rate-is-only-zero-point-one-seven-percent"
  }
}