Disparity in number of search results

[dertyfern]

Noticed a big difference in the number of pages Google says there are on auto suggest--when typing in search text box--and the actual number of results after a search. Any ideas why?

[tedster]

Data sets that aren't coordinated - it's got to be that, I'd say. You also reminded me that google.co.uk still shows the "Suggest" numbers. Google.com lost them a while back.

[dertyfern]

I thought it may be dataset related too but it seemed to me that on occasion I'd get a query that matched up.

Odd because the two don't ever seem to match up. Been following for a few weeks for random phrases and can't name a single sync and in some cases the numbers are very different.

I don't really know if it's at all important.