Computer Concept Courses (CCC) Practice Test 2025 - Free Practice Questions and Study Guide

The wildcard that can be used in searches to replace an unknown number of characters is the asterisk (*). In many search engines and database queries, the asterisk serves as a placeholder for zero or more characters, making it a powerful tool for broadening search results. For example, if you search for "com*", the results would include words such as "computer," "command," or "comprehensive," since all of these terms start with "com" and are followed by varying characters.

Other options serve different purposes in search contexts. The question mark (?) typically replaces a single character, which means it is not suitable for cases where you need to substitute for multiple characters. The hash symbol (#) often has specific meanings in programming or social media contexts, and the exclamation mark (!) generally denotes negation in some programming languages but does not function as a wildcard in searches. Therefore, the asterisk is uniquely suited for replacing an unknown number of characters in a search query.