[[query-dsl-span-multi-term-query]]
=== Span multi-term query
++++
<titleabbrev>Span multi-term</titleabbrev>
++++

The `span_multi` query allows you to wrap a `multi term query` (one of wildcard,
fuzzy, prefix, range or regexp query) as a `span query`, so
it can be nested. Example:

[source,console]
--------------------------------------------------
GET /_search
{
    "query": {
        "span_multi":{
            "match":{
                "prefix" : { "user" :  { "value" : "ki" } }
            }
        }
    }
}
--------------------------------------------------

A boost can also be associated with the query:

[source,console]
--------------------------------------------------
GET /_search
{
    "query": {
        "span_multi":{
            "match":{
                "prefix" : { "user" :  { "value" : "ki", "boost" : 1.08 } }
            }
        }
    }
}
--------------------------------------------------

WARNING: `span_multi` queries will hit too many clauses failure if the number of terms that match the query exceeds the
boolean query limit (defaults to 1024).To avoid an unbounded expansion you can set the <<query-dsl-multi-term-rewrite,
rewrite method>> of the multi term query to `top_terms_*` rewrite. Or, if you use `span_multi` on `prefix` query only,
you can activate the <<index-prefixes,`index_prefixes`>> field option of the `text` field instead. This will
rewrite any prefix query on the field to a single term query that matches the indexed prefix.