When is keyword search enough instead of vector search?

Added: 2026-04-28

[00:00:00]When is keyword search enough instead of vector search? Keyword search is best when the query is very specific. That is the user already knows the exact terms to search. For example, policy names, ticket IDs, error codes, etc. Also, keyword search is a good option when you are looking for exact matches. And this works best for things like function names, file paths, and quoted phrases.

[00:00:23]And another use case when keyword search is best when you need predictable results. That is, keyword search gives consistent traceable outputs and no fuzzy matching like semantic search.

[00:00:35]Another one is when precision matters more than meaning. That is, you need the exact term matches. Okay? So, the takeaway is use keyword search when exact matches and predictability matter more than understanding meaning.