Term normalization is the process of converting multiple terms into a single term for indexing and retrieval. By normalizing various terms into one, you increase the consistency of the search results. There are several common classes of term normalizations:
Spelling variants, such as customise => customize
Compound terms, such as data base => database
Spelling corrections, such as febuary => february
Aliases or name variations, such as MS Word => Microsoft Word
The ATG Search core dictionary contains large numbers of general term normalizations, and administrators can create their own using custom terminology (see the Custom Terminology section).