Soundex Phonetic Code Generator
Generate the American Soundex code for names or words — a 4-character phonetic key that groups similar-sounding spellings together.
| Input | Soundex |
|---|---|
| Robert | R163 |
| Rupert | R163 |
| Ashcraft | A261 |
| Tymczak | T522 |
| Honeyman | H555 |
How to use
- Type or paste one name or word per line.
- Read the 4-character Soundex code next to each name.
- Compare codes — identical codes mean the names are phonetically equivalent under Soundex.
- Copy the whole name-and-code table with one click.
About this tool
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Soundex is a phonetic algorithm that indexes names by sound as pronounced in English, so that spelling variants like Robert and Rupert share the same code (R163). Each code keeps the first letter and adds three digits derived from the consonants, following the U.S. National Archives (NARA) rules: consonants are grouped into six numbered classes, doubled and adjacent same-class letters are merged, the letters H and W are transparent (letters on either side still merge), and vowels reset the run so equal codes are coded twice. Enter one name per line and get every code at once. Everything runs locally in your browser.
Frequently asked questions
How is a Soundex code built?
Keep the first letter, then encode following consonants as digits (b,f,p,v=1; c,g,j,k,q,s,x,z=2; d,t=3; l=4; m,n=5; r=6). Adjacent same-digit letters collapse to one, H and W are skipped without separating, vowels separate. Pad with zeros to exactly one letter plus three digits.
Why do Robert and Rupert both give R163?
Soundex groups by sound, not spelling. Both reduce to R + the digits for b/p (1), r (6), t (3), so they collide on purpose — that is how it finds spelling variants.
Which Soundex variant is this?
The standard American Soundex as defined by the U.S. National Archives, including the H/W transparency rule (so Ashcraft encodes to A261, not A226).
Where does Soundex fail badly enough to matter?
On names that are not English. It was designed for the spellings a US census clerk met, so it keeps the first letter — which sends Catherine and Kathrine to different codes — and it treats the sounds of English, which do not map onto Slavic, Chinese or Arabic transliteration. For a mixed name list the results are close to arbitrary rather than merely imperfect.
How should a search actually use these codes?
As a widener, never as the answer. Store the code alongside the name, use it to pull a candidate set when an exact match fails, then rank those candidates with something that measures actual similarity — edit distance, or a comparison that knows about the alphabet in play. Presenting Soundex matches directly gives users a list of names that share nothing visible with what they typed.
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