A search scheme (10) in which a controller (14) provides a search key (16) to a search engine (18, 36). In one variation, the search engine (18) provides a match address (20) based on prefix matching to an associate content (AC) memory (22) and the AC memory provides a search result (24) back to the controller. In an other variation the search engine (36) effectively may include the AC and itself provide the search result (24). Within the search engine (18, 36) every possible prefix for possible respective prefix lengths in the search key may be represented, either by a bit which addressable maps to the search result, by content addressable memory (CAM) (32) associatively mapping to the search result, or by directly addressing the search result (24).