How do algorithms search for names?

@Dean, Barton David

I was about to respond on the basis that you were talking about entering a name as such (e.g., Mrs John Smith) in Family Tree, but perhaps (as @SerraNola suggests) you are referring to another aspect of FamilySearch.

As mentioned, any input to the Title field would be ignored by the "search algorithm", which - based on your input - would be looking for, say, "John Smith" instances, as you suggest.

However, I don't quite understand why you say:

"FamilySearch allows users to enter "Mrs" in the title field and then the husbands name in the first and last names field for an unknown wife."

Within Family Tree, any title / first name / last name can be entered (there is no assumption that a name nearly always used for males could not possibly apply to a female - e.g. "John"), so no "warning flag" would appear unless invalid characters were used when inputting a name.

On the specific issue of entering a female spouse as something like "Mrs John Smith", this used to be accepted practice if neither her first name and/or maiden name were unknown, but the current suggestion appears to be to leave a name blank if it is not known. True, that does not help another user, or even a "search algorithm" to find the spouse's name, but neither does inputting the male spouse's name with a "Mrs" prefixed, as you suggest with your comment:

"…allowing this practice the possibly of eventually discovering the wife would be greatly diminished under the assumption that it would assume her first name would be her husband's first name and her maiden name his surname"

I just wonder what alternative input you think would be of help in finding an unknown spouse?