Fuzzy matching is a technique used in data processing to identify similar but not identical strings of text. It helps in finding matches that may have typographical errors, variations in spelling, or different formats. This is particularly useful in databases where names, addresses, or other information may be entered inconsistently. This method employs algorithms that calculate the similarity between strings, often using metrics like Levenshtein distance or Jaccard index. Fuzzy matching is commonly applied in areas such as data cleaning, search engines, and natural language processing to improve accuracy and efficiency in data retrieval and analysis.