How do I search for words near each other, like a word1 * word2 wildcard?

Filmot supports proximity searches and a one-word wildcard inside quoted phrases. Open the Search Syntax Cheat Sheet with the ? icon next to the search box for more examples.

• "w1 w2"~N: finds the words in any order, with up to N words between them. Put ~ and the number directly after the closing quote, for example "vaccine efficacy"~5 or "tumor suppressor"~3.
• w1 NEAR/N w2: finds two terms within N words of each other, in any order, with a distance up to 500. It also accepts quoted phrases and grouped alternatives, for example "black hole" NEAR/10 "event horizon" or ("dopamine" | "serotonin") NEAR/10 ("receptor" | "pathway").
• "w1 * w2": inside a quoted phrase, * stands for exactly one word. "observed * decay" can match "observed radioactive decay" or "observed beta decay". Use additional asterisks for a longer gap, or combine alternatives: "basic * spectroscopy" | "basic * * spectroscopy".

To exclude a nearby term instead, use w1 NOTNEAR/N w2. For example, radiation NOTNEAR/100 microwave finds occurrences of "radiation" without "microwave" within that distance.