# The exact match rate is only 0.17% | Trakkr Research

Canonical URL: https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/query-translation/facts/the-exact-match-rate-is-only-zero-point-one-seven-percent
Published: 2026-01-22
Last updated: 2026-01-22
Author: Mack Grenfell

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.

## Methodology

Built from 11,521 captured prompt-to-query pairs observed in OpenAI web search calls, with 100% search-query coverage in the sampled dataset.

## Claim

Only 0.17 percent of 11521 prompt-to-query pairs matched exactly in the query translation study.

## Why it matters

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.

## Supporting metrics

| Metric | Value | Context |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Exact match rate | 0.17% | Only 20 of 11,521 pairs matched exactly. |
| Prompt-query pairs | 11,521 | Captured prompt-to-query transformations. |

## Related pages

Continue through the same study cluster.

- [does ai search your exact words](https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/query-translation/answers/does-ai-search-your-exact-words) - Related answer page
- [how aggressive are ai query rewrites](https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/query-translation/answers/how-aggressive-are-ai-query-rewrites) - Related answer page
- [query rewrite pattern tracker](https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/query-translation/trackers/query-rewrite-pattern-tracker) - Related tracker page

## Data And Sources

- [How AI Translates Your Questions](https://trakkr.ai/trakkr-research/query-translation) - Flagship study behind this page
- [Page JSON](https://trakkr.ai/data/research-answers/query-translation/facts/the-exact-match-rate-is-only-zero-point-one-seven-percent.json) - Machine-readable companion file