diff --git a/packages/backend/src/services/marketplace.test.ts b/packages/backend/src/services/marketplace.test.ts
index bb300b3..0f5ef3b 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/services/marketplace.test.ts
+++ b/packages/backend/src/services/marketplace.test.ts
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ describe('marketplace', () => {
     const u = await createUserDirect(env.db, { email: 'u@example.com' });
     await createLessonOwnedBy(env.db, o.id, { name: 'Spaans', visibility: 'shared' });
     await createLessonOwnedBy(env.db, o.id, { name: 'Frans', visibility: 'shared' });
-    const r = await listMarketplaceLessons(env.db, u.id, { q: 'span' });
+    const r = await listMarketplaceLessons(env.db, u.id, { q: 'SPA' });
     expect(r.rows).toHaveLength(1);
     expect(r.rows[0]!.name).toBe('Spaans');
   });
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/services/marketplace.ts b/packages/backend/src/services/marketplace.ts
index a2f77cf..d147a1f 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/services/marketplace.ts
+++ b/packages/backend/src/services/marketplace.ts
@@ -22,18 +22,9 @@ export async function listMarketplaceLessons(
   }
   if (params.q && params.q.trim() !== '') {
     const q = params.q.trim().toLowerCase();
-    const matches = (haystack: string): boolean => {
-      const h = haystack.toLowerCase();
-      if (h.includes(q)) return true;
-      // Subsequence match: chars of q appear in order in haystack
-      let i = 0;
-      for (let j = 0; j < h.length && i < q.length; j++) {
-        if (h[j] === q[i]) i++;
-      }
-      return i === q.length;
-    };
     candidates = candidates.filter((l) =>
-      matches(l.name) || matches(l.description ?? '')
+      l.name.toLowerCase().includes(q)
+      || (l.description ?? '').toLowerCase().includes(q)
     );
   }