Hack 15 Checking Spelling
Google sometimes takes the liberty of "correcting" what it perceives is a spelling error in your query. If you've ever used other Internet search engines, you'll have experienced what I call "stupid spellcheck." That's when you enter a proper noun and the search engine suggests a completely ludicrous query ("Elvish Parsley" for "Elvis Presley"). Google's quite a bit smarter than that. When Google thinks it can spell individual words or complete phrases in your search query better than you can, it'll offer you a suggested "better" search, hyperlinking it directly to a query. For example, if you search for hydrocephelus, Google will suggest that you search instead for hydrocephalus. Suggestions aside, Google will assume you know of what you speak and return your requested results. Provided, that is, that your query gleaned results. If your query found no results for the spellings you provided and Google believes it knows better, it will automatically run a new search on its own suggestions. Thus, a search for hydracefallus finding (hopefully) no results will spark a Google-initiated search for hydrocephalus. Mind you, Google does not arbitrarily come up with its suggestions, but builds them based on its own database of words and phrases found while indexing the Web. If you search for nonsense like garafghafdghasdg, you'll get no results and be offered no suggestions as Figure 1-10 shows. Figure 1-10. A search that yields no suggestions