Hybrid Search: Vector + Keyword

Welcome to Hybrid Search! This lesson dives into a powerful technique that combines the best of two worlds: traditional keyword search and modern vector similarity search.

Pure keyword search can miss relevant results due to synonyms, while pure vector search might struggle with exact matches. Hybrid search aims to overcome these limitations.

Keyword search, often called lexical search, finds documents based on exact word matches or close variations. It uses inverted indexes to quickly locate terms.

• Strengths: Excellent for precise terms, names, or codes. Fast for exact matches.
• Weaknesses: Struggles with synonyms (e.g., 'car' vs. 'automobile'), contextual meaning, or queries phrased differently.