Span within query

The span_within query matches spans that are enclosed by another span query. It is the opposite of span_containing: span_containing returns larger spans containing smaller ones, whereas span_within returns smaller spans enclosed by larger ones.

For example, you can use the span_within query to:

• Find shorter phrases that appear within longer phrases.
• Match terms that occur within specific contexts.
• Identify smaller patterns enclosed by larger patterns.

Example

To try the examples in this section, complete the setup steps.

The following query searches for the word “dress” when it appears within a span containing “shirt” and “long”:

GET /clothing/_search
{
  "query": {
    "span_within": {
      "little": {
        "span_term": {
          "description": "dress"
        }
      },
      "big": {
        "span_near": {
          "clauses": [
            {
              "span_term": {
                "description": "shirt"
              }
            },
            {
              "span_term": {
                "description": "long"
              }
            }
          ],
          "slop": 2,
          "in_order": false
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

The query matches document 1 because:

• The word “dress” appears within a larger span (“Long-sleeved dress shirt…”).
• The larger span contains “shirt” and “long” within 2 words of each other (there are 2 words between them).

{
  "took": 3,
  "timed_out": false,
  "_shards": {
    "total": 1,
    "successful": 1,
    "skipped": 0,
    "failed": 0
  },
  "hits": {
    "total": {
      "value": 1,
      "relation": "eq"
    },
    "max_score": 1.4677674,
    "hits": [
      {
        "_index": "clothing",
        "_id": "1",
        "_score": 1.4677674,
        "_source": {
          "description": "Long-sleeved dress shirt with a formal collar and button cuffs. "
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Parameters

The following table lists all top-level parameters supported by span_within queries. All parameters are required.