Keyword Match Type Tool: Broad, Phrase, Exact and Negative
Paste a keyword list and get every keyword in broad, "phrase" and [exact] match, plus negative versions, in columns you can copy one by one. The tool also removes symbols Google rejects, old +modifier signs and duplicates. Free, no signup, with CSV export for Google Ads Editor.
- 100% free
- No signup
- Updated October 2026
Key Takeaways
A keyword match type tool, also called a keyword wrapper, adds Google Ads match type syntax to a list of keywords in bulk. Broad match is the plain keyword, phrase match goes in quotes ("running shoes"), exact match goes in square brackets ([running shoes]) and negatives start with a minus. Broad match modifier (+running +shoes) was retired in 2021.
- Broad match is written plain, phrase match in quotes and exact match in square brackets; negative versions add a minus sign in front.
- Since July 2021 new broad match modifier keywords cannot be created, and existing ones match like phrase match.
- A Google Ads keyword can be at most 80 characters and 10 words.
- Google accepts ampersands and accented letters in keywords, ignores periods and most plus signs, and rejects symbols such as commas, exclamation marks, @ and parentheses.
- 13 messy lines can collapse to 11 unique keywords, which become 33 lines once wrapped in three match types.
How to Use the Keyword Match Type Tool
Paste your keywords
One per line. Lines that are already wrapped in quotes, brackets, a minus or +modifier signs are unwrapped first.
Pick match types
Tick any of broad, phrase, exact, negative broad, negative phrase and negative exact.
Set the cleanup
Lowercase, remove symbols Google rejects, remove ignored periods and plus signs, remove duplicates, remove words you list, and optionally leave out keywords over Google's limits.
Copy or export
Copy one column, copy everything as one list, or download a CSV by column or in Google Ads Editor format.
How do Google Ads match types work in 2026?
Google's keyword matching options page defines three match types, and all three can match close variants such as misspellings, plurals and same-intent searches (close variants).
| Match type | Syntax | What it can match |
|---|---|---|
| Broad | running shoes | Searches related to the keyword, including ones that don't contain its words |
| Phrase | "running shoes" | Searches that include the meaning of the keyword; word order matters |
| Exact | [running shoes] | Searches with the same meaning or intent |
| Negative broad | -running shoes | Blocks searches containing all the words in any order; no close variants |
| Negative phrase | -"running shoes" | Blocks searches with the words in that order |
| Negative exact | -[running shoes] | Blocks only that exact search |
Google's own broad match example: the keyword low carb diet plan can show on searches such as carb free foods, low carb diets and how to cut carbs for beginners. Close variants for phrase and exact include misspellings, singular and plural forms, reordered words with the same meaning, added or removed function words, implied words and paraphrases.
What happened to broad match modifier?
In February 2021 Google started moving broad match modifier behavior into phrase match, and by July 2021 both matched the same way (Google's announcement). From late July 2021 you could no longer create new +modifier keywords (ending support for BMM). Old BMM keywords still serve but behave as phrase match, and editing their text forces a switch to phrase.
So when the tool sees a line like +24 +hour +plumber, it strips the plus signs and tells you. If you want the same reach those keywords had, add them as phrase match. Tools that still output +modifier keywords are producing syntax Google stopped accepting five years ago.
Which characters are allowed in Google Ads keywords?
From Google's keyword list tips:
- Allowed: ampersands (&) and accented letters (á).
- Ignored: periods, so "st. louis" and "st louis" are the same keyword, and plus signs, except at the end of a word such as C++.
- Rejected with an error: , ! @ % ^ * ( ) = { } ; ~ ` < > ? \ | and square brackets inside the text. Asterisks are only allowed in negative keywords.
The cleanup keeps decimals like 1.5 ton intact while removing periods elsewhere, and leaves C++ alone.
Keywords also have a hard size limit: at most 80 characters and 10 words, per the Google Ads API reference. The tool flags anything longer and can leave it out.
Worked example: cleaning and wrapping a keyword list
Paste these 13 lines, which is what a real export often looks like: Emergency Plumber, " emergency plumber ", +24 +hour +plumber, "water heater repair", [drain cleaning], Plumber near me!, plumber near me, best plumbers (local), leak detection, slab leak, st. louis plumber, h&r block, repairs for c++ code and -cheap plumber.
- Unwrapping removes the quotes, brackets, plus signs and the leading minus.
- Cleanup lowercases everything, removes the !, the parentheses and the comma, drops the period in st. louis and collapses spaces. 10 lines change.
- Deduplication removes 2 repeats: the second emergency plumber and the second plumber near me.
- That leaves 11 unique keywords. With broad, phrase and exact ticked, 11 × 3 = 33 keywords ready to paste.
Tick the three negative types as well and the same list becomes 11 × 6 = 66 lines.
How do you import wrapped keywords into Google Ads?
There are two ways, and the tool supports both:
- Paste into the Google Ads interface. When you add keywords to an ad group, Google reads the syntax: plain text becomes broad, quotes become phrase and brackets become exact. Copy a single column from the tool and paste it in. For negatives, paste the negative column into the negative keywords box of a campaign, an ad group or a shared list.
- Import with Google Ads Editor. Download the CSV for Ads Editor. Each row has the plain keyword and a Criterion Type column (Broad, Phrase, Exact, Negative Broad, Negative Phrase or Negative Exact), and Editor's own help lists those match options (Google Ads Editor help). Fill in the Campaign and Ad group columns in a spreadsheet, then import and review the changes before posting.
Editor also accepts the symbol notation, with one catch: the minus always goes first, so -"keyword" and -[keyword] are correct and "-keyword" or [-keyword] are not. The tool always writes the minus first.
Which match type should you start with?
Start with phrase and exact for your core keywords when budget is tight and conversion tracking is new; you keep control while the account learns which searches convert. Add broad match once conversion tracking is reliable and you use a Smart Bidding strategy, because broad relies on those signals to stay relevant. Whatever you choose, pair it with a negative list and watch the search terms report.
Read more in our guide to Google Ads match types and account structure, or let our Google Ads team build it for you.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do I write a phrase match keyword?
Put the keyword in double quotes, like "running shoes". In Google Ads Editor CSV files you can instead write the keyword plain and set the Criterion Type column to Phrase.
How do I write an exact match keyword?
Put the keyword in square brackets, like [running shoes]. Exact match can still show on close variants with the same meaning or intent.
How do I write negative keywords with match types?
Put the minus first: -running shoes for broad, -"running shoes" for phrase and -[running shoes] for exact. Google Ads Editor treats "-keyword" and [-keyword] as incorrect.
Does broad match modifier still work?
No. New broad match modifier keywords cannot be created since July 2021, and existing ones now match like phrase match. Convert them to phrase.
Are Google Ads keywords case sensitive?
Google does not document case as a matching factor, and accounts commonly use lowercase for consistency. The tool lowercases by default so duplicates in different cases are caught.
What is the maximum length of a keyword?
A keyword can be at most 80 characters and 10 words. Longer keywords are rejected, so the tool flags them and can leave them out.
Why did the tool remove the minus from my keyword?
A leading minus marks a negative keyword. The tool strips it so the keyword can be rewrapped in any match type, and tells you how many lines had one. Tick a negative match type to get the minus back in the right place.
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