If I have a word 'raqd', how would I use python to have a spellcheck, so to speak, to find the word 'rad' as an option in 'spellcheck'? What I've been trying to do is this: def isbettermatch(keysplit, searchword): i = 0 trues = 0 falses = 0 lensearchwords = len(searchword) keysplits = copy.deepcopy(keysplit) searchwords = copy.deepcopy(searchword) #print keysplit, searchwords if len(keysplits) == len(searchwords)-1: i = 0 while i < len(keysplits): j = 0 while j < lensearchwords: if keysplits[i] == searchwords[j]: trues +=1 searchwords.pop(j) lensearchwords = len(searchwords) elif keysplits[i] != searchwords[j]: falses +=1 j +=1 i +=1 if trues >= len(searchwords)-1: #print "-------------------------------------------------------", keysplits return True keysplit is a list like ['s', 'p', 'o', 'i', 'l'] for example, and the searchword would be a list ['r', 'a', 'q', 'd']. If the function returns True, then it would print the keyword that matches. Ex. 'rad', for the searchword 'raqd'. I need to find all possible matches for the searchword with a single letter addition or deletion. so ex. 'raqd' would have an option to be 'rad', and 'poted' could be 'posted' or 'potted'. Above is what I have tried, but it is not working well at all. Help much appreciated!