WildcardQuery for Term-Level Pattern Matching

wildcard matches indexed terms using simple wildcard syntax:

• * matches zero or more characters
• ? matches exactly one character

This is a term-level query. It works against analyzed terms that already exist in the index.

Basic example

{
  "query": {
    "wildcard": {
      "title": "que*"
    }
  }
}

When to use it

• Match families of tags or codes.
• Support simple power-user patterns.
• Search normalized keyword-like values with a little flexibility.

Wildcard vs MatchQuery

• match analyzes the input text and uses lexical ranking.
• wildcard checks indexed terms directly.

If you want normal search-box behavior, use match. If you want pattern matching over already-indexed terms, use wildcard.

Notes

• Wildcards operate on analyzed terms, not raw source strings.
• Broad leading wildcards such as *light may match many terms.
• For simple prefix use cases, PrefixQuery is usually clearer.