Hybrid Search
Combining keyword (BM25) and vector search for better recall.
/ quick answer
Hybrid search runs a lexical query and a vector query in parallel, then fuses the scores. It catches exact-match terms that dense retrieval misses and semantic matches that keyword search misses. Combining keyword (BM25) and vector search for better recall.
/ frequently asked
What is Hybrid Search?
Hybrid search runs a lexical query and a vector query in parallel, then fuses the scores. It catches exact-match terms that dense retrieval misses and semantic matches that keyword search misses.
What is an example of Hybrid Search?
Query 'ACME-9000 firmware v2.3' hits BM25 on the SKU and dense retrieval on 'firmware update guide'.
Why does Hybrid Search matter?
Combining keyword (BM25) and vector search for better recall.
What should I learn after Hybrid Search?
Open the related workflows and prompts further down this page: they show how this idea is applied in a real task, step by step.
/ continue exploring
Related concepts
The vocabulary this page depends on.
- →Semantic Search
Finding information by meaning rather than exact keyword match.
- →Retrieval
Selecting the most relevant chunks for a query before generation.
- →RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation)
Inject external knowledge into an LLM at query time.
- →Agentic RAG
RAG where an agent decides what to retrieve, when, and from which source — instead of a single static query.
Related workflows
Turn this into a repeatable process.
- →How to Create a Website with AI
Go from idea to a live, custom-domain website in one afternoon using AI builders.
- →How to Build an AI Content System
A repeatable pipeline that turns one input into publish-ready content across every channel.
- →How to Start a Niche Website with AI
Pick a niche, validate demand, build the site, and publish ranking content using AI end-to-end.
- →Personal Research Assistant Workflow
A repeatable system to research any topic deeply in under 30 minutes.
Related tool stacks
The tools that run it in production.
- →RAG Starter Stack
Minimum viable stack to ship a production RAG chatbot.
- →AI Research & Knowledge Stack
Default toolset for analysts, founders and creators doing deep research with AI.
Comparisons & alternatives
Pick between the options.
- →Perplexity vs ChatGPT Search
Two answer engines, two philosophies: citation-first research vs conversational assistant.
- →Perplexity vs You.com vs SearchGPT
Three AI-first search engines compared.
- →ChatGPT vs Claude
Two leading conversational AI assistants compared across reasoning, writing, coding, and pricing.
- →Lovable vs Bolt
Two AI app builders compared on speed, backend, deployment, and production readiness.