The Nterms module ranks matches according to how many query terms they match. For example, in a three-word query, results that match all three words are ranked above results that match only two, which are ranked above results that match only one, which are ranked above results that had no matches.

The Nterms module is only applicable to search modes where results can vary in how many query terms they match. These include Match Any, Match Partial, Match All Any, and Match All Partial. Note also that Nterms treats all matches the same, whether or not they are due to query expansion.