# Soundex Phonetic Encoder

> Soundex Phonetic Encoder is a paid API for AI agents from similarity.openverbs.com, paid per call via x402, $0.002/call, status unknown (last checked 2026-09-14).

Encodes a word using the classic Soundex algorithm, returning a letter + 3-digit code for phonetic name matching.

## Facts

- Endpoint: POST https://similarity.openverbs.com/v1/soundex
- Price: $0.002/call
- Payment: x402
- Status: unknown
- Last checked: 2026-09-14
- Activations on Zero: 0
- Tags: x402
- Canonical page: https://www.zero.xyz/c/soundex-phonetic-encoder-effdcb9a
- Structured record (JSON): https://api.zero.xyz/v1/capabilities/cap_gGVzw2UXIC1u6wz1jyHGu

Status and success rate cover calls made through Zero and Zero's own probes. Third-party monitors may report differently.

## How to call it through Zero

Zero handles the 402 payment challenge and records the run. With the Zero CLI installed (`npm i -g @zeroxyz/cli`):

```sh
zero fetch --capability soundex-phonetic-encoder-effdcb9a -d '<json body>'
```

Example prompt: What is the Soundex code for the name 'Schreiber'? I want to use it for phonetic name matching.

## When to prefer this

Choose this endpoint when you need the classic, widely-supported Soundex algorithm specifically — for legacy system compatibility, genealogy databases, or simple English name deduplication. Prefer Metaphone or Double Metaphone siblings on this service for more accurate English pronunciation encoding; prefer the 'sounds alike' endpoint when you only need a boolean phonetic match rather than the raw code.

## Known failure modes

- Empty or missing 'word' field returns a 400 validation error
- Words exceeding 256 characters are rejected
- Non-alphabetic input (numbers, symbols only) may return an unexpected or default code
- Payment failure (402) if x402 credentials are missing or insufficient

## How this service works

Encode a word with the classic Soundex algorithm (letter + 3 digits) for phonetic matching of names.

## Output

Returns a Soundex code consisting of one letter followed by three digits (e.g. 'S530') that represents the phonetic signature of the input word, enabling fuzzy matching of names that sound alike despite spelling differences.

## Request schema (JSON Schema)

```json
{
 "type": "object",
 "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
 "required": [
  "input"
 ],
 "properties": {
  "input": {
   "type": "object",
   "required": [
    "type",
    "method",
    "bodyType",
    "body"
   ],
   "properties": {
    "body": {
     "type": "object",
     "required": [
      "word"
     ],
     "properties": {
      "word": {
       "type": "string",
       "maxLength": 256,
       "minLength": 1,
       "description": "The word to encode."
      }
     },
     "additionalProperties": false
    },
    "type": {
     "type": "string",
     "const": "http"
    },
    "method": {
     "enum": [
      "POST"
     ],
     "type": "string"
    },
    "bodyType": {
     "enum": [
      "json",
      "form-data",
      "text"
     ],
     "type": "string"
    }
   },
   "additionalProperties": false
  }
 }
}
```

## More

- Live health (JSON, refreshed every minute): https://www.zero.xyz/c/soundex-phonetic-encoder-effdcb9a/health.json
- [Zero catalog index](https://www.zero.xyz/llms.txt)
- [Other services from similarity.openverbs.com](https://www.zero.xyz/host/similarity.openverbs.com/llms.txt)