Used and loved by millions
Since I tried Ludwig back in 2017, I have been constantly using it in both editing and translation. Ever since, I suggest it to my translators at ProSciEditing.

Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak
CEO of Professional Science Editing for Scientists @ prosciediting.com
kwic
Grammar usage guide and real-world examplesUSAGE SUMMARY
The phrase "kwic" is not correct in standard written English and is likely a typographical error or an abbreviation that is not widely recognized.
It may be used in specific contexts related to information retrieval or linguistics, but it is not commonly understood without explanation. Example: "The kwic index allows for quick access to keywords in the text."
Science
News & Media
Table of contents
Usage summary
Human-verified examples
Expert writing tips
Linguistic context
Ludwig's wrap-up
Alternative expressions
FAQs
Human-verified examples from authoritative sources
Exact Expressions
18 human-written examples
Another approach is based on radial imaging with k-space weighted image contrast (KWIC).
Science
Further improvements of image quality are achieved with autofocusing, 3D image correlation, K-space-weighted image contrast (KWIC) and principal component analysis [86, 87, 88].
Science
The analysis of the phrases and sentences in which a word appears can be done through Key Word in Context (KWIC) searches, where the analyst specifies the word to be looked up, and the program retrieves all instances of use of that word in the corpus and its immediate context.
Science
Second, KWIC cannot show the relation between the targeted words.
Science
The limitation of KWIC is that it cannot efficiently sort out the data from a large-scale corpus.
Science
One common technology is KWIC, from which the contexts that a word occurs in can easily get viewed.
Science
For example, in a corpus containing eight million words, using KWIC to search the word 'deal', there are up to 1500 sentences containing it (Biber et al. 1998).
Science
In addition, most studies only used the KWIC method, which did not propose an effective approach to deal with the large data set.
Science
In the past decades, although the idea of using corpora in Chinese lexicography is widely accepted, KWIC alone has many limitations.
Science
From the perspective of research methods of distinguishing synonyms, the academic community has gone through two important stages: first, the manual data collection phase based on introspection, which mainly relies on the experience of the researchers and second the corpus-based phase, which obtains KWIC (key word in context) from a corpus.
Science
Fittingly, on the Web itself - at what has become a new shopping destination for banks and their thousands of software developers: Amazon Web Services (AWS), where Kaazing has launched KWIC - Kaazing WebSocket Intercloud Connect.
News & Media
Expert writing Tips
Best practice
Employ "kwic" analysis to quickly identify patterns and relationships within large text corpora.
Common error
Avoid using the acronym "kwic" without defining it, especially when writing for a general audience or outside of specialized fields like linguistics or computational analysis. Always prioritize clarity.
Source & Trust
84%
Authority and reliability
4.1/5
Expert rating
Real-world application tested
Linguistic Context
The primary grammatical function of "kwic" is as a noun or adjective, often used attributively to describe a method or analysis technique. Based on Ludwig AI, it can describe an approach or a method.
Frequent in
Science
89%
News & Media
6%
Formal & Business
5%
Less common in
Academia
0%
Encyclopedias
0%
Wiki
0%
Ludwig's WRAP-UP
In summary, "kwic" stands for "keyword in context", a technique widely used in fields like linguistics and information retrieval to analyze words within their surrounding textual environment. Ludwig AI notes that while acceptable, it's best to spell out the full phrase initially for clarity, especially when communicating with a broader audience. Its usage is most common in scientific and academic contexts. Although not incorrect, spelling the acronym out can help prevent confusion. "kwic" analysis offers a valuable tool for researchers seeking to understand word usage and patterns within large text corpora.
More alternative expressions(10)
Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:
keyword in context
Spells out the acronym "kwic" providing the full phrase.
contextual keyword
Reorders the words while retaining the core meaning of a keyword within its surrounding context.
keyword analysis
Focuses on the analysis aspect rather than the presentation of the keyword in context.
textual keyword analysis
Highlights the textual aspect of keyword analysis.
concordance analysis
Uses a more general term for analyzing words in context, emphasizing alignment and comparison.
corpus linguistics
Broader field relating to language study via collections of texts.
text mining
Focuses on extracting meaningful information from text, which may include keyword analysis.
content analysis
A broad term for analyzing text or content, where keywords in context might be a component.
lexical analysis
Deals with the study of words and their forms, meanings, and uses, including contextual aspects.
word frequency analysis
Focuses on how often words appear, rather than their specific context.
FAQs
What does "kwic" stand for?
"kwic" stands for "keyword in context", a method used in corpus linguistics and text analysis.
How is "kwic" analysis used in linguistics?
In linguistics, "kwic" analysis helps researchers examine the various contexts in which a word appears, aiding in understanding its different meanings and usages. Tools such as "concordance software" are often used to perform "kwic" searches.
Is "kwic" a widely recognized term?
While "kwic" is recognized within specific fields like linguistics and information retrieval, it is not a universally known acronym. Spelling out "keyword in context" is recommended for broader audiences.
Can you provide an example of "kwic" analysis?
Imagine you're studying the word "deal". A "kwic" analysis would show you all the sentences in a corpus where "deal" appears, allowing you to see its different usages (e.g., "business deal", "deal with a problem").
Editing plus AI, all in one place.
Stop switching between tools. Your AI writing partner for everything—polishing proposals, crafting emails, finding the right tone.
Table of contents
Usage summary
Human-verified examples
Expert writing tips
Linguistic context
Ludwig's wrap-up
Alternative expressions
FAQs
Source & Trust
84%
Authority and reliability
4.1/5
Expert rating
Real-world application tested