---
title: "DIFFERENCE (Transact-SQL)"
description: "DIFFERENCE (Transact-SQL)"
author: markingmyname
ms.author: maghan
ms.date: "03/03/2017"
ms.prod: sql
ms.technology: t-sql
ms.topic: reference
f1_keywords:
  - "DIFFERENCE"
  - "DIFFERENCE_TSQL"
helpviewer_keywords:
  - "DIFFERENCE function"
  - "comparing SOUNDEX values"
  - "SOUNDEX values"
dev_langs:
  - "TSQL"
monikerRange: ">= aps-pdw-2016 || = azuresqldb-current || = azure-sqldw-latest || >= sql-server-2016 || >= sql-server-linux-2017 || = azuresqldb-mi-current"
---
# DIFFERENCE (Transact-SQL)
[!INCLUDE [sql-asdb-asdbmi-asa-pdw](../../includes/applies-to-version/sql-asdb-asdbmi-asa-pdw.md)]

This function returns an integer value measuring the difference between the [SOUNDEX()](./soundex-transact-sql.md) values of two different character expressions.  
  
 ![Topic link icon](../../database-engine/configure-windows/media/topic-link.gif "Topic link icon") [Transact-SQL Syntax Conventions](../../t-sql/language-elements/transact-sql-syntax-conventions-transact-sql.md)  
  
## Syntax  
  
```syntaxsql
DIFFERENCE ( character_expression , character_expression )  
```  
  
[!INCLUDE[sql-server-tsql-previous-offline-documentation](../../includes/sql-server-tsql-previous-offline-documentation.md)]

## Arguments
*character_expression*  
An alphanumeric [expression](../../t-sql/language-elements/expressions-transact-sql.md) of character data. *character_expression* can be a constant, variable, or column.  
  
## Return Types  
**int**  
 
## Remarks  
`DIFFERENCE` compares two different `SOUNDEX` values, and returns an integer value. This value measures the degree that the `SOUNDEX` values match, on a scale of 0 to 4. A value of 0 indicates weak or no similarity between the SOUNDEX values; 4 indicates strongly similar, or even identically matching, SOUNDEX values.  
  
`DIFFERENCE` and `SOUNDEX` have collation sensitivity.  
  
## Examples  
The first part of this example compares the `SOUNDEX` values of two very similar strings. For a Latin1_General collation, `DIFFERENCE` returns a value of `4`. The second part of the example compares the `SOUNDEX` values for two very different strings, and for a Latin1_General collation, `DIFFERENCE` returns a value of `0`.  
  
```sql  
-- Returns a DIFFERENCE value of 4, the least possible difference.  
SELECT SOUNDEX('Green'), SOUNDEX('Greene'), DIFFERENCE('Green','Greene');  
GO  
-- Returns a DIFFERENCE value of 0, the highest possible difference.  
SELECT SOUNDEX('Blotchet-Halls'), SOUNDEX('Greene'), DIFFERENCE('Blotchet-Halls', 'Greene');  
GO  
```  
  
 [!INCLUDE[ssResult](../../includes/ssresult-md.md)]  
  
```  
----- ----- -----------   
G650  G650  4             
  
(1 row(s) affected)  
  
----- ----- -----------   
B432  G650  0             
  
(1 row(s) affected)  
```  
  
## See Also  
 [SOUNDEX (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/functions/soundex-transact-sql.md)   
 [String Functions (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/functions/string-functions-transact-sql.md)