> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://wiki.platelunchcollective.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Hybrid Retrieval

> Hybrid retrieval combines lexical matching on exact terms with semantic matching on meaning, merging both to find content a single method would miss.

*Core concept* · *AI Search Infrastructure*

## Definition

Hybrid retrieval combines two ways of finding content, lexical matching on exact terms and semantic matching on meaning, and merges their results. It pairs a keyword method like BM25 with a dense, embedding-based method, so both precise term matches and conceptual matches surface. It is now the default in serious AI search systems.

## Why It Matters for AI Search

Neither keyword nor semantic search catches everything on its own. Lexical methods nail exact terms and proper names but miss paraphrase. Semantic methods catch meaning but can drift on specifics. Hybrid retrieval recovers both, which is why it has become standard. For content, it means a page needs the exact terms a buyer might type and the surrounding meaning a model reasons over. Writing for one path and ignoring the other leaves half of retrieval closed.

## Related Terms

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Dense retrieval" href="/ai-search-glossary/dense-retrieval">See also</Card>
  <Card title="Sparse retrieval" href="/ai-search-glossary/sparse-retrieval">See also</Card>
  <Card title="Semantic search" href="/ai-search-glossary/semantic-search">See also</Card>
  <Card title="Keyword search" href="/ai-search-glossary/keyword-search">See also</Card>
  <Card title="Reranking" href="/ai-search-glossary/reranking">See also</Card>
</CardGroup>

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