diff --git a/Src/Common/Controls/XMLViews/MatchingObjectsBrowser.cs b/Src/Common/Controls/XMLViews/MatchingObjectsBrowser.cs
index 3f9627c211..89772c5428 100644
--- a/Src/Common/Controls/XMLViews/MatchingObjectsBrowser.cs
+++ b/Src/Common/Controls/XMLViews/MatchingObjectsBrowser.cs
@@ -205,6 +205,21 @@ public void Initialize(LcmCache cache, IVwStylesheet stylesheet, Mediator mediat
 			ResumeLayout(false);
 		}
 
+		/// <summary>
+		/// Swap the active search engine (e.g. when toggling substring-match mode). The caller
+		/// owns the lifetime of both engines; this only re-hooks the SearchCompleted event.
+		/// </summary>
+		public void SetSearchEngine(SearchEngine searchEngine)
+		{
+			CheckDisposed();
+			if (ReferenceEquals(m_searchEngine, searchEngine))
+				return;
+			if (m_searchEngine != null)
+				m_searchEngine.SearchCompleted -= m_searchEngine_SearchCompleted;
+			m_searchEngine = searchEngine;
+			m_searchEngine.SearchCompleted += m_searchEngine_SearchCompleted;
+		}
+
 		private void m_searchEngine_SearchCompleted(object sender, SearchCompletedEventArgs e)
 		{
 			UpdateResults(e.Fields.FirstOrDefault(), e.Results);
diff --git a/Src/LexText/LexTextControls/EntryGoDlg.cs b/Src/LexText/LexTextControls/EntryGoDlg.cs
index 1edac295ad..ba1041f511 100644
--- a/Src/LexText/LexTextControls/EntryGoDlg.cs
+++ b/Src/LexText/LexTextControls/EntryGoDlg.cs
@@ -41,6 +41,51 @@ protected override string PersistenceLabel
 			get { return "EntryGo"; }
 		}
 
+		/// <summary>
+		/// The default engine: full-text (word-prefix) matching. Cached in the property table.
+		/// </summary>
+		private SearchEngine FullTextSearchEngine
+		{
+			get
+			{
+				return SearchEngine.Get(m_mediator, m_propertyTable, "EntryGoSearchEngine",
+					() => new EntryGoSearchEngine(m_cache, SearchType.FullText));
+			}
+		}
+
+		/// <summary>
+		/// The substring (match-anywhere) engine. Built lazily the first time a query is long enough
+		/// to use substring matching (see <see cref="SubstringSearchPolicy"/>).
+		/// </summary>
+		private SearchEngine SubstringSearchEngine
+		{
+			get
+			{
+				return SearchEngine.Get(m_mediator, m_propertyTable, "EntryGoSubstringSearchEngine",
+					() => new EntryGoSearchEngine(m_cache, SearchType.Substring));
+			}
+		}
+
+		/// <summary>
+		/// True when this query should use substring matching. The decision (minimum query length)
+		/// lives in <see cref="SubstringSearchPolicy"/>. (Kept separate from <see cref="SearchEngineFor"/>
+		/// so callers can test the mode without instantiating the substring engine.)
+		/// </summary>
+		private bool UseSubstringFor(string searchKey)
+		{
+			return SubstringSearchPolicy.UseSubstring(searchKey);
+		}
+
+		/// <summary>
+		/// Choose the engine for a given search key: the substring engine only when
+		/// <see cref="UseSubstringFor"/> is true; otherwise the default full-text engine
+		/// (which still returns its normal results for short keys).
+		/// </summary>
+		private SearchEngine SearchEngineFor(string searchKey)
+		{
+			return UseSubstringFor(searchKey) ? SubstringSearchEngine : FullTextSearchEngine;
+		}
+
 		/// <summary>
 		/// Get/Set the starting entry object.  This will not be displayed in the list of
 		/// matching entries.
@@ -85,10 +130,8 @@ protected override void InitializeMatchingObjects(LcmCache cache)
 			var xnWindow = m_propertyTable.GetValue<XmlNode>("WindowConfiguration");
 			XmlNode configNode = xnWindow.SelectSingleNode("controls/parameters/guicontrol[@id=\"matchingEntries\"]/parameters");
 
-			SearchEngine searchEngine = SearchEngine.Get(m_mediator, m_propertyTable, "EntryGoSearchEngine", () => new EntryGoSearchEngine(cache));
-
 			m_matchingObjectsBrowser.Initialize(cache, FontHeightAdjuster.StyleSheetFromPropertyTable(m_propertyTable), m_mediator, m_propertyTable, configNode,
-				searchEngine);
+				SearchEngineFor(string.Empty));
 
 			m_matchingObjectsBrowser.ColumnsChanged += m_matchingObjectsBrowser_ColumnsChanged;
 
@@ -97,6 +140,7 @@ protected override void InitializeMatchingObjects(LcmCache cache)
 			if (selectedWs != null)
 				m_matchingObjectsBrowser.SearchAsync(GetFields(string.Empty, selectedWs.Handle));
 		}
+
 		#endregion Construction and Destruction
 
 		#region	Other methods
@@ -158,6 +202,9 @@ protected override void ResetMatches(string searchKey)
 			m_oldSearchKey = searchKey;
 			m_oldSearchWs = wsSelHvo;
 
+			// Select the engine for this query: substring once the key is long enough (>= MinQueryLength);
+			// otherwise the default full-text engine, so short keys behave like the original search.
+			m_matchingObjectsBrowser.SetSearchEngine(SearchEngineFor(searchKey));
 			m_matchingObjectsBrowser.SearchAsync(GetFields(searchKey, wsSelHvo));
 		}
 
diff --git a/Src/LexText/LexTextControls/EntryGoSearchEngine.cs b/Src/LexText/LexTextControls/EntryGoSearchEngine.cs
index a47d66ad00..3a4a9cce66 100644
--- a/Src/LexText/LexTextControls/EntryGoSearchEngine.cs
+++ b/Src/LexText/LexTextControls/EntryGoSearchEngine.cs
@@ -20,8 +20,8 @@ internal class EntryGoSearchEngine : SearchEngine
 	{
 		private readonly Virtuals m_virtuals;
 
-		public EntryGoSearchEngine(LcmCache cache)
-			: base(cache, SearchType.FullText)
+		public EntryGoSearchEngine(LcmCache cache, SearchType searchType = SearchType.FullText)
+			: base(cache, searchType)
 		{
 			m_virtuals = Cache.ServiceLocator.GetInstance<Virtuals>();
 		}
diff --git a/Src/LexText/LexTextControls/LexTextControls.Designer.cs b/Src/LexText/LexTextControls/LexTextControls.Designer.cs
index 8611971f6b..e581cf3f2f 100644
--- a/Src/LexText/LexTextControls/LexTextControls.Designer.cs
+++ b/Src/LexText/LexTextControls/LexTextControls.Designer.cs
@@ -1149,7 +1149,7 @@ internal static string ksFindLexEntry {
                 return ResourceManager.GetString("ksFindLexEntry", resourceCulture);
             }
         }
-        
+
         /// <summary>
         ///   Looks up a localized string similar to Find Record.
         /// </summary>
diff --git a/Src/LexText/LexTextControls/LexTextControlsTests/SubstringSearchPolicyTests.cs b/Src/LexText/LexTextControls/LexTextControlsTests/SubstringSearchPolicyTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b795c4215f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Src/LexText/LexTextControls/LexTextControlsTests/SubstringSearchPolicyTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2026 SIL International
+// This software is licensed under the LGPL, version 2.1 or later
+// (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/lgpl-2.1.html)
+
+using NUnit.Framework;
+using SIL.FieldWorks.LexText.Controls;
+
+namespace LexTextControlsTests
+{
+	/// <summary>
+	/// Tests for the pure Find-Lexical-Entry substring-search decision logic that was extracted from
+	/// EntryGoDlg so it could be tested without driving the dialog.
+	/// </summary>
+	[TestFixture]
+	public class SubstringSearchPolicyTests
+	{
+		// A base letter followed by a combining acute accent (U+0301): 2 UTF-16 units that compose to
+		// a single character under FormC normalization.
+		private static readonly string ComposedAcuteE = "e" + (char)0x0301;
+
+		[TestCase("", ExpectedResult = false)]
+		[TestCase("l", ExpectedResult = false)]
+		[TestCase("la", ExpectedResult = false)]      // below MinQueryLength
+		[TestCase("lan", ExpectedResult = true)]      // exactly MinQueryLength
+		[TestCase("language", ExpectedResult = true)]
+		public bool UseSubstring_gatesOnLength(string key)
+		{
+			return SubstringSearchPolicy.UseSubstring(key);
+		}
+
+		[Test]
+		public void UseSubstring_nullKey_isFalse()
+		{
+			Assert.That(SubstringSearchPolicy.UseSubstring(null), Is.False);
+		}
+
+		[Test]
+		public void UseSubstring_countsComposedCharacters_notUtf16Units()
+		{
+			// Each ComposedAcuteE is 2 UTF-16 units but 1 character after FormC. If the policy counted
+			// raw Length it would see 4 and 6 (both >= 3) and wrongly enable substring; counting composed
+			// characters it sees 2 and 3.
+			string twoComposed = ComposedAcuteE + ComposedAcuteE;                   // raw Length 4 -> 2
+			string threeComposed = ComposedAcuteE + ComposedAcuteE + ComposedAcuteE; // raw Length 6 -> 3
+
+			Assert.That(SubstringSearchPolicy.UseSubstring(twoComposed), Is.False,
+				"two composed characters should count as length 2, below the threshold");
+			Assert.That(SubstringSearchPolicy.UseSubstring(threeComposed), Is.True,
+				"three composed characters should count as length 3, at the threshold");
+		}
+
+		[Test]
+		public void MinQueryLength_hasExpectedDefault()
+		{
+			Assert.That(SubstringSearchPolicy.MinQueryLength, Is.EqualTo(3));
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/Src/LexText/LexTextControls/SubstringSearchPolicy.cs b/Src/LexText/LexTextControls/SubstringSearchPolicy.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ccca72cbff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Src/LexText/LexTextControls/SubstringSearchPolicy.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2026 SIL International
+// This software is licensed under the LGPL, version 2.1 or later
+// (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/lgpl-2.1.html)
+
+using System.Text;
+
+namespace SIL.FieldWorks.LexText.Controls
+{
+	/// <summary>
+	/// UI-independent decision logic for the Find Lexical Entry "match anywhere" (substring) search
+	/// mode: when substring matching applies, plus its tuning knobs. Kept out of <see cref="EntryGoDlg"/>
+	/// so it can be unit-tested without driving the dialog.
+	/// </summary>
+	internal static class SubstringSearchPolicy
+	{
+		/// <summary>
+		/// Substring matching engages only once the query is at least this many characters; shorter
+		/// keys fall back to the default full-text engine, so short queries behave like the original
+		/// search (a 1-2 char substring in a large project would otherwise match most entries).
+		/// </summary>
+		public const int MinQueryLength = 3;
+
+		/// <summary>
+		/// True when a query should use substring matching: the key is at least
+		/// <see cref="MinQueryLength"/> characters. Length is counted after FormC normalization, so a
+		/// base character plus a combining diacritic counts as one character. Shorter keys fall back to
+		/// the default full-text search.
+		/// </summary>
+		/// <param name="searchKey">The (already trimmed) search key.</param>
+		public static bool UseSubstring(string searchKey)
+		{
+			return !string.IsNullOrEmpty(searchKey)
+				&& searchKey.Normalize(NormalizationForm.FormC).Length >= MinQueryLength;
+		}
+	}
+}