System and method for correcting spelling errors in search queries

In a computer system that implements a search engine that is accessible to users over a computer network, a method of processing a search query that includes at least one misspelled search term, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

• (a) receiving the search query from a user over the computer network, the search query comprising a plurality of search terms and being directed to an informational database to be searched;
• (b) identifying within the search query a non-matching search term which does not produce a match within the informational database, and at least one matching search term which produces a match within the informational database;
• (c) using search term correlation data to identify a plurality of additional terms that are deemed to be related to the at least one matching search term, the search term correlation data based at least on historical query submissions;
• and
• (d) comparing the additional terms identified in step (c) to the non-matching term to identify an additional term that is a candidate correctly-spelled replacement for the non-matching term.

A search engine for allowing users of a computer network to conduct searches of a database of items, the search engine comprising:

• a computer system which has search term correlation data stored in a memory thereof, the search term correlation data indicating correlations between search terms based at least upon prior query submissions of users;
• and
• a query server which runs on the computer system, the query server adapted to search the database of items using search queries received from users, the query server configured to process a multi-term search query that includes both matching and non-matching terms by at least:
• accessing the search term correlation data to identify a plurality of additional terms that are deemed to be related to the matching terms(s) of the search query;
• and
• comparing the spellings of the additional terms to the spelling of at least one non-matching term of the query to determine whether any of the additional terms is a candidate replacement for the non-matching term.