Phonetic Search (Coming Soon)

This feature is coming soon and is not yet available in the current API version.

Overview

This endpoint will provide phonetic search capabilities that find medical concepts based on how they sound rather than how they’re spelled. It will be particularly useful for handling pronunciation variations, names from different languages, spoken input transcription, and medical terminology with complex or variable pronunciations.

Query Parameters

query

string

required

Search term or phrase (pronunciation-based matching)

vocabulary_ids

string

Target vocabularies for search (comma-separated)
Examples: SNOMED, ICD10CM,LOINC, RXNORM,NDC

domains

string

Filter results to specific domains (comma-separated)
Examples: Condition,Procedure, Drug,Device

concept_classes

string

Filter to specific concept classes (comma-separated)

phonetic_algorithm

string

default:"double_metaphone"

Phonetic matching algorithm
Options: soundex, metaphone, double_metaphone, nysiis, match_rating, hybrid

phonetic_threshold

number

default:"0.8"

Minimum phonetic similarity score (0.0-1.0, higher = more strict)

language_variant

string

default:"en-US"

Language variant for pronunciation rules
Options: en-US, en-GB, en-CA, en-AU, es-ES, fr-FR, de-DE, multi

include_variants

boolean

default:"true"

Include pronunciation variants and regional differences

medical_pronunciation

boolean

default:"true"

Use medical-specific pronunciation rules

cross_language

boolean

default:"false"

Enable cross-language phonetic matching

accent_tolerance

string

default:"medium"

Tolerance level for accent variations
Options: strict, medium, high, very_high

syllable_matching

boolean

default:"true"

Enable syllable-based matching for complex terms

phoneme_weighting

boolean

default:"true"

Apply phoneme-specific weighting for medical terms

include_abbreviations

boolean

default:"true"

Include phonetic matching of abbreviations and acronyms

name_variants

boolean

default:"true"

Include name pronunciation variants (for drug names, anatomical terms)

standard_concept

string

Filter by standard concept status: S (Standard), C (Classification). Non-standard concepts are indicated by null/empty value.

include_invalid

boolean

default:"false"

Include invalid/deprecated concepts

include_synonyms

boolean

default:"true"

Search within concept synonyms

sort_by

string

default:"phonetic_score"

Sort order for results
Options: phonetic_score, alphabetical, frequency, concept_id

page

integer

default:"1"

Page number for pagination

page_size

integer

default:"20"

Number of results per page (max 100)

vocab_release

string

Specific vocabulary release version (defaults to latest)

Response

success

boolean

Indicates if the request was successful

data

object

Show Phonetic Search Results

query

string

Original search query

phonetic_analysis

object

Show Phonetic Analysis

phonetic_code

string

Generated phonetic code for the query

algorithm

string

Phonetic algorithm used

detected_language

string

Detected language/pronunciation variant

syllable_count

integer

Number of syllables detected

phoneme_breakdown

array

Phoneme analysis of the query

pronunciation_variants

array

Identified pronunciation variants

search_statistics

object

Show Search Statistics

total_candidates

integer

Total concepts evaluated phonetically

phonetic_matches

integer

Concepts found via phonetic matching

exact_phonetic_matches

integer

Concepts with identical phonetic codes

variant_matches

integer

Matches through pronunciation variants

cross_language_matches

integer

Matches across different languages

processing_time_ms

integer

Time taken for phonetic processing

concepts

array

Array of phonetically matching concepts

Show Phonetic Concept Match

concept_id

integer

Unique concept identifier

concept_name

string

Primary concept name

concept_code

string

Concept code

vocabulary_id

string

Source vocabulary identifier

vocabulary_name

string

Human-readable vocabulary name

domain_id

string

Domain classification

concept_class_id

string

Concept class identifier

standard_concept

string

Standard concept indicator: S (Standard), C (Classification), or null (non-standard)

phonetic_score

number

Phonetic similarity score (0.0-1.0)

phonetic_details

object

Show Phonetic Match Details

matched_term

string

The specific term that matched phonetically

phonetic_code

string

Phonetic code of the matched term

match_type

string

Type of phonetic match (exact, variant, cross_language, syllable)

phonetic_distance

number

Phonetic distance score

syllable_match_score

number

Syllable-level matching score

pronunciation_similarity

number

Overall pronunciation similarity

accent_variation

string

Type of accent variation matched

language_variant

string

Language variant of the match

pronunciation_info

object

Show Pronunciation Information

phonetic_spelling

string

Phonetic spelling of the concept

ipa_transcription

string

International Phonetic Alphabet transcription

stress_pattern

string

Syllable stress pattern

common_mispronunciations

array

Common mispronunciation patterns

regional_variants

array

Regional pronunciation variants

alternative_pronunciations

array

Other ways this concept might be pronounced

confidence_level

string

Confidence in phonetic match (High, Medium, Low)

phonetic_clusters

array

Groups of phonetically similar concepts

Show Phonetic Cluster

cluster_id

string

Cluster identifier

phonetic_pattern

string

Common phonetic pattern

concept_count

integer

Number of concepts in cluster

representative_pronunciation

string

Most common pronunciation in cluster

variant_count

integer

Number of pronunciation variants

pronunciation_suggestions

object

Show Pronunciation Suggestions

similar_pronunciations

array

Phonetically similar terms to try

common_alternatives

array

Common alternative pronunciations

medical_variants

array

Medical pronunciation variants

regional_alternatives

array

Regional pronunciation alternatives

meta

object

Show Metadata

request_id

string

Unique identifier for the request

timestamp

string

Request timestamp

phonetic_algorithm_version

string

Version of phonetic algorithm used

language_model

string

Language model used for pronunciation

pagination

object

Show Pagination Info

vocab_release

string

Vocabulary release version used

curl -X GET "https://api.omophub.com/v1/search/phonetic?query=noomonia&vocabulary_ids=SNOMED,ICD10CM&phonetic_algorithm=double_metaphone&phonetic_threshold=0.8&include_variants=true" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "query": "noomonia",
    "phonetic_analysis": {
      "phonetic_code": "NMN",
      "algorithm": "double_metaphone",
      "detected_language": "en-US",
      "syllable_count": 3,
      "phoneme_breakdown": [
        {"phoneme": "n", "position": "initial"},
        {"phoneme": "u", "position": "medial"},
        {"phoneme": "m", "position": "medial"},
        {"phoneme": "o", "position": "medial"},
        {"phoneme": "n", "position": "medial"},
        {"phoneme": "i", "position": "final"},
        {"phoneme": "a", "position": "final"}
      ],
      "pronunciation_variants": [
        "noomonia",
        "newmonia",
        "numonia"
      ]
    },
    "search_statistics": {
      "total_candidates": 25847,
      "phonetic_matches": 18,
      "exact_phonetic_matches": 6,
      "variant_matches": 8,
      "cross_language_matches": 4,
      "processing_time_ms": 987
    },
    "concepts": [
      {
        "concept_id": 205237003,
        "concept_name": "Pneumonia",
        "concept_code": "205237003",
        "vocabulary_id": "SNOMED",
        "vocabulary_name": "Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms",
        "domain_id": "Condition",
        "concept_class_id": "Clinical Finding",
        "standard_concept": "S",
        "phonetic_score": 0.95,
        "phonetic_details": {
          "matched_term": "pneumonia",
          "phonetic_code": "NMN",
          "match_type": "exact",
          "phonetic_distance": 0.05,
          "syllable_match_score": 0.92,
          "pronunciation_similarity": 0.95,
          "accent_variation": "standard",
          "language_variant": "en-US"
        },
        "pronunciation_info": {
          "phonetic_spelling": "noo-MOH-nee-ah",
          "ipa_transcription": "/nuˈmoʊniə/",
          "stress_pattern": "secondary-PRIMARY-tertiary",
          "common_mispronunciations": [
            "new-MOH-nee-ah",
            "puh-new-MOH-nee-ah"
          ],
          "regional_variants": [
            {"variant": "en-GB", "pronunciation": "/njuːˈməʊniə/"},
            {"variant": "en-AU", "pronunciation": "/nuːˈmoʊniə/"}
          ]
        },
        "alternative_pronunciations": [
          "newmonia",
          "numonia",
          "pnoomonia"
        ],
        "confidence_level": "High"
      },
      {
        "concept_id": 4195694,
        "concept_name": "Bacterial pneumonia",
        "concept_code": "53084003",
        "vocabulary_id": "SNOMED",
        "vocabulary_name": "Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms",
        "domain_id": "Condition",
        "concept_class_id": "Clinical Finding",
        "standard_concept": "S",
        "phonetic_score": 0.89,
        "phonetic_details": {
          "matched_term": "pneumonia",
          "phonetic_code": "NMN",
          "match_type": "variant",
          "phonetic_distance": 0.11,
          "syllable_match_score": 0.87,
          "pronunciation_similarity": 0.89,
          "accent_variation": "compound",
          "language_variant": "en-US"
        },
        "pronunciation_info": {
          "phonetic_spelling": "bak-TEER-ee-al noo-MOH-nee-ah",
          "ipa_transcription": "/bækˈtɪriəl nuˈmoʊniə/",
          "stress_pattern": "tertiary-PRIMARY-tertiary secondary-PRIMARY-tertiary",
          "common_mispronunciations": [
            "bacterial newmonia",
            "bacterial numonia"
          ],
          "regional_variants": [
            {"variant": "en-GB", "pronunciation": "/bækˈtɪərɪəl njuːˈməʊniə/"}
          ]
        },
        "alternative_pronunciations": [
          "bacterial newmonia",
          "bacterial numonia"
        ],
        "confidence_level": "High"
      },
      {
        "concept_id": 4090305,
        "concept_name": "Viral pneumonia",
        "concept_code": "406856006",
        "vocabulary_id": "SNOMED",
        "vocabulary_name": "Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms",
        "domain_id": "Condition",
        "concept_class_id": "Clinical Finding",
        "standard_concept": "S",
        "phonetic_score": 0.87,
        "phonetic_details": {
          "matched_term": "pneumonia",
          "phonetic_code": "NMN",
          "match_type": "variant",
          "phonetic_distance": 0.13,
          "syllable_match_score": 0.85,
          "pronunciation_similarity": 0.87,
          "accent_variation": "compound",
          "language_variant": "en-US"
        },
        "pronunciation_info": {
          "phonetic_spelling": "VY-ral noo-MOH-nee-ah",
          "ipa_transcription": "/ˈvaɪrəl nuˈmoʊniə/",
          "stress_pattern": "PRIMARY-tertiary secondary-PRIMARY-tertiary",
          "common_mispronunciations": [
            "viral newmonia",
            "vyral numonia"
          ],
          "regional_variants": [
            {"variant": "en-GB", "pronunciation": "/ˈvaɪərəl njuːˈməʊniə/"}
          ]
        },
        "alternative_pronunciations": [
          "viral newmonia",
          "viral numonia"
        ],
        "confidence_level": "High"
      },
      {
        "concept_id": 445435003,
        "concept_name": "Pneumonia",
        "concept_code": "J18",
        "vocabulary_id": "ICD10CM",
        "vocabulary_name": "International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification",
        "domain_id": "Condition",
        "concept_class_id": "3-character category",
        "standard_concept": "C",
        "phonetic_score": 0.94,
        "phonetic_details": {
          "matched_term": "pneumonia",
          "phonetic_code": "NMN",
          "match_type": "exact",
          "phonetic_distance": 0.06,
          "syllable_match_score": 0.91,
          "pronunciation_similarity": 0.94,
          "accent_variation": "standard",
          "language_variant": "en-US"
        },
        "pronunciation_info": {
          "phonetic_spelling": "noo-MOH-nee-ah",
          "ipa_transcription": "/nuˈmoʊniə/",
          "stress_pattern": "secondary-PRIMARY-tertiary",
          "common_mispronunciations": [
            "new-MOH-nee-ah"
          ],
          "regional_variants": [
            {"variant": "en-GB", "pronunciation": "/njuːˈməʊniə/"}
          ]
        },
        "alternative_pronunciations": [
          "newmonia",
          "numonia"
        ],
        "confidence_level": "High"
      }
    ],
    "phonetic_clusters": [
      {
        "cluster_id": "pneumonia_variants",
        "phonetic_pattern": "NMN",
        "concept_count": 12,
        "representative_pronunciation": "noo-MOH-nee-ah",
        "variant_count": 8
      },
      {
        "cluster_id": "respiratory_conditions",
        "phonetic_pattern": "N*N",
        "concept_count": 6,
        "representative_pronunciation": "varies",
        "variant_count": 15
      }
    ],
    "pronunciation_suggestions": {
      "similar_pronunciations": [
        "pneumonia",
        "newmonia", 
        "numonia"
      ],
      "common_alternatives": [
        "lung infection",
        "chest infection",
        "respiratory infection"
      ],
      "medical_variants": [
        "pneumonitis",
        "pneumonic",
        "pulmonary infection"
      ],
      "regional_alternatives": [
        {"region": "British", "pronunciation": "nyoo-MOH-nee-ah"},
        {"region": "Australian", "pronunciation": "noo-MOH-nee-ah"},
        {"region": "Canadian", "pronunciation": "noo-MOH-nee-ah"}
      ]
    }
  },
  "meta": {
    "request_id": "req_phonetic_search_123",
    "timestamp": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
    "phonetic_algorithm_version": "double_metaphone_v3.2",
    "language_model": "medical_pronunciation_v1.5",
    "pagination": {
      "page": 1,
      "page_size": 20,
      "total_items": 18,
      "total_pages": 1,
      "has_next": false,
      "has_previous": false
    },
    "vocab_release": "2025.2"
  }
}

Usage Examples

Basic Phonetic Search

Search with a mispronounced medical term:

curl -X GET "https://api.omophub.com/v1/search/phonetic?query=sirrosis&domains=Condition" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Advanced Phonetic Matching

Use sophisticated phonetic algorithms:

curl -X GET "https://api.omophub.com/v1/search/phonetic?query=bronkytis&phonetic_algorithm=hybrid&phonetic_threshold=0.8&medical_pronunciation=true" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Cross-Language Phonetic Search

Enable matching across language variants:

curl -X GET "https://api.omophub.com/v1/search/phonetic?query=arteriosklerosis&cross_language=true&language_variant=multi&accent_tolerance=high" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Voice Input Processing

Optimize for voice recognition results:

curl -X GET "https://api.omophub.com/v1/search/phonetic?query=diabetees&phonetic_algorithm=double_metaphone&accent_tolerance=very_high&include_variants=true" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Drug Name Pronunciation

Search pharmaceutical terms by pronunciation:

curl -X GET "https://api.omophub.com/v1/search/phonetic?query=metformin&vocabulary_ids=RXNORM&name_variants=true&include_abbreviations=true" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Regional Accent Handling

Handle regional pronunciation differences:

curl -X GET "https://api.omophub.com/v1/search/phonetic?query=aluminium&language_variant=en-GB&accent_tolerance=medium&include_variants=true" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Phonetic Algorithms

Soundex

Description: Classic American phonetic algorithm based on consonant sounds
Best For: Simple pronunciation matching, English names
Accuracy: Basic
Performance: Very fast
Example: “Smith” and “Smyth” both encode to “S530”

Metaphone

Description: Improved phonetic algorithm with better English pronunciation rules
Best For: English medical terms, better accuracy than Soundex
Accuracy: Good
Performance: Fast
Example: Better handling of “PH” sounds, silent letters

Double Metaphone

Description: Advanced algorithm generating two phonetic codes for better matching
Best For: General phonetic search, handles pronunciation variants
Accuracy: Very good
Performance: Moderate
Example: Handles alternative pronunciations and foreign names

NYSIIS (New York State Identification and Intelligence System)

Description: Name-focused phonetic algorithm with excellent accuracy
Best For: Person names, anatomical terms, drug names
Accuracy: Excellent for names
Performance: Moderate
Example: Superior handling of name variations

Match Rating Approach

Description: Algorithm comparing phonetic strings directly
Best For: Comparing similar-length terms
Accuracy: Good for specific use cases
Performance: Fast
Example: Direct phonetic string comparison

Hybrid Algorithm

Description: Combines multiple algorithms with weighted scoring
Best For: Comprehensive phonetic search
Accuracy: Highest
Performance: Slower (most comprehensive)
Example: Uses best features from all algorithms

Medical Phonetic Challenges

Latin and Greek Origins

Challenge: Medical terms often derive from Latin/Greek
Examples: “pneumonia” (silent ‘p’), “psychology” (silent ‘p’)
Solution: Medical-specific pronunciation rules
Algorithm: Enhanced Metaphone or Hybrid

Silent Letters

Challenge: Many medical terms have silent letters
Examples: “pneumonia”, “psychology”, “knee”
Solution: Medical pronunciation dictionary
Algorithm: Double Metaphone with medical rules

Compound Terms

Challenge: Medical terms often combine multiple roots
Examples: “gastroenterology”, “electrocardiogram”
Solution: Syllable-based matching
Algorithm: Syllable-enhanced algorithms

Abbreviations and Acronyms

Challenge: Medical abbreviations pronounced as words or letters
Examples: “MRI” (em-ar-eye), “COPD” (see-oh-pee-dee)
Solution: Abbreviation pronunciation rules
Algorithm: Hybrid with abbreviation handling

Regional Variations

Challenge: Medical terms pronounced differently by region
Examples: “aluminium” vs “aluminum”, “beta” vs “beeta”
Solution: Regional pronunciation variants
Algorithm: Multi-variant Metaphone

Accent Tolerance Levels

Strict

Description: Minimal tolerance for pronunciation variations
Use Case: Exact pronunciation matching
Threshold: High (0.9+)
Examples: Research applications, precise terminology

Medium

Description: Moderate tolerance for common variations
Use Case: General medical search
Threshold: Medium (0.7-0.9)
Examples: Clinical documentation, general queries

High

Description: High tolerance for accent and pronunciation differences
Use Case: International users, voice input
Threshold: Lower (0.6-0.8)
Examples: Multi-cultural environments, voice recognition

Very High

Description: Maximum tolerance for pronunciation variations
Use Case: Heavy accents, non-native speakers
Threshold: Lowest (0.5-0.7)
Examples: ESL users, heavily accented speech

Language Variants

English Variants

en-US: American English pronunciation rules
en-GB: British English pronunciation patterns
en-AU: Australian English variations
en-CA: Canadian English specifics

Medical Terminology

Latin: Classical medical Latin pronunciation
Greek: Greek-origin medical terms
French: French medical terminology
German: German medical terms

Multi-Language

Approach: Cross-language phonetic matching
Use Case: International medical environments
Challenge: Different phonetic systems
Solution: Unified phonetic representation

Common Medical Mispronunciations

Respiratory Terms

“noomonia” → “pneumonia”
“bronkytis” → “bronchitis”
“asma” → “asthma”

Cardiovascular Terms

“arteriosklerosis” → “arteriosclerosis”
“miokardial” → “myocardial”
“anjeena” → “angina”

Neurological Terms

“serebral” → “cerebral”
“alzhymers” → “Alzheimer’s”
“epilepsy” → “epilepsy” (various pronunciations)

Gastrointestinal Terms

“appendisytis” → “appendicitis”
“gastroenterytis” → “gastroenteritis”
“sirrosis” → “cirrhosis”

Endocrine Terms

“diabetees” → “diabetes”
“thyroyd” → “thyroid”
“insulin” → “insulin” (stress variations)

Performance Optimization

Algorithm Selection

Speed Priority: Use Soundex or Metaphone
Accuracy Priority: Use Double Metaphone or Hybrid
Name Matching: Use NYSIIS
Balanced: Use Double Metaphone

Threshold Tuning

High Precision: Use 0.8+ threshold
Balanced: Use 0.7 threshold
High Recall: Use 0.6 threshold
Maximum Coverage: Use 0.5 threshold

Language Optimization

Single Language: Use specific variant (en-US, en-GB)
Multi-Language: Use ‘multi’ variant
Medical Focus: Enable medical pronunciation rules
Voice Input: Use high accent tolerance

Fuzzy Search - Typography-based fuzzy matching
Basic Search - Exact text matching
Multi-lingual Search - Language-specific search
Search Autocomplete - Query completion with phonetic support

API Reference

Concepts

Concept Hierarchy

Search

Search (Coming Soon)

Relationships

Domains & Classifications

Mappings

Vocabularies

​Overview

​Query Parameters

​Response

​Usage Examples

​Basic Phonetic Search

​Advanced Phonetic Matching

​Cross-Language Phonetic Search

​Voice Input Processing

​Drug Name Pronunciation

​Regional Accent Handling

​Phonetic Algorithms

​Soundex

​Metaphone

​Double Metaphone

​NYSIIS (New York State Identification and Intelligence System)

​Match Rating Approach

​Hybrid Algorithm

​Medical Phonetic Challenges

​Latin and Greek Origins

​Silent Letters

​Compound Terms

​Abbreviations and Acronyms

​Regional Variations

​Accent Tolerance Levels

​Strict

​Medium

​High

​Very High

​Language Variants

​English Variants

​Medical Terminology

​Multi-Language

​Common Medical Mispronunciations

​Respiratory Terms

​Cardiovascular Terms

​Neurological Terms

​Gastrointestinal Terms

​Endocrine Terms

​Performance Optimization

​Algorithm Selection

​Threshold Tuning

​Language Optimization

​Related Endpoints

Overview

Query Parameters

Response

Usage Examples

Basic Phonetic Search

Advanced Phonetic Matching

Cross-Language Phonetic Search

Voice Input Processing

Drug Name Pronunciation

Regional Accent Handling

Phonetic Algorithms

Soundex

Metaphone

Double Metaphone

NYSIIS (New York State Identification and Intelligence System)

Match Rating Approach

Hybrid Algorithm

Medical Phonetic Challenges

Latin and Greek Origins

Silent Letters

Compound Terms

Abbreviations and Acronyms

Regional Variations

Accent Tolerance Levels

Strict

Medium

High

Very High

Language Variants

English Variants

Medical Terminology

Multi-Language

Common Medical Mispronunciations

Respiratory Terms

Cardiovascular Terms

Neurological Terms

Gastrointestinal Terms

Endocrine Terms

Performance Optimization

Algorithm Selection

Threshold Tuning

Language Optimization

Related Endpoints