How do autocorrect algorithms work in PHP and/or C#?

Question

I am trying to figure out how autocorrect algorithms can be implemented in either PHP or C#.

In short, I have a user inputted word that should be able to have minor misspelling be tolerated. I also have an SQL database of correctly spelled words. I want to be able to grab the closest (correctly) spelled word from the database to that which the user entered.

I realize there are a zillion autocorrect packages out there, but I would like to be able to customize it, so I am looking for any information on implementing this functionality in either PHP or C#.

Many thanks, Brett

Answer 1

I am assuming you mean Peter Norvig's spell corrector, only written in C# or PHP (1, 2) as linked from his site.

This is essentially the method Google uses for spelling corrections.