Define the collection
A corpus search covers only texts admitted to that collection and the editorial layers indexed by its tool. Before counting hits, note project, language, period, genre filters and whether you searched transliteration, normalized spelling, lemma or translation. Search both attested spelling and proposed lemma where the interface allows. An empty result can reflect spelling, indexing or coverage; it cannot establish that a form was never used.
Oracc documents full-text and glossary searching separately. Its glossary pages summarize forms and instances in a particular online corpus. A count is therefore a property of that collection and its annotations, not an estimate of all ancient speech.
Inspect the hits
Open several results with surrounding lines and object identifiers. Separate intact occurrences from restorations and uncertain readings using the edition’s key. Note duplicate records or multiple editions of the same object. Compare dates and genres before arguing that a use is typical. If a tool strips damage marks, return to the full edition for the final citation.
Save query, filters, URL, date consulted and a small table of inspected hits. A screen capture can supplement this record, but text notes make the method searchable and repeatable.
Practice
Use Oracc’s documented search interface to search a form that appears in a Primer example. Record query and collection, inspect three hits if available, and note for each its text identifier, line and any uncertainty flag. If fewer than three appear, report the actual count and what you searched.
Modern-language examples on this page clarify a linguistic pattern. They do not establish unattested sounds or forms for an ancient language. Follow the cited sources below and keep editorial readings separate from the surviving trace.