Ashkenazi-correct

We won’t tell you a 4th cousin is a 2nd cousin.

Ashkenazi Jews descend from a small medieval population, so even distant relatives share more DNA than the standard tables expect. Read naively, that inflates everyone into close cousins. We correct for it, so the relationships you're shown are the relationships you actually have.

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Illustrative — not real data

Same shared DNA. Two very different conclusions.

Shared DNA

214 cM

across 9 segments, Ashkenazi match

Naive tools (no correction)

“2nd cousin”

Reads the raw centimorgans straight off a textbook table and reports a close relationship. On Ashkenazi kits this is frequently too close.

Endogamy-corrected (us)

4th cousin, more likely

We adjust for the extra DNA Ashkenazi relatives share by background, then report a range — not a falsely-confident close label.

We don’t tell you a 4th cousin is a 2nd cousin.

What this means for your family

Relationships you can build a tree on

No false "close cousins"

You won't waste months chasing a "2nd cousin" who is really a 4th, because the shared-DNA math was never corrected for your background.

Honest ranges, not false certainty

Where endogamy makes a single label unsafe, we show a relationship range and say so — instead of guessing precisely and wrongly.

Built in, not left to you

You don't need to learn cM tables or run manual adjustments. The correction is applied for you, every time.

Your narrative stays accurate

Because relationships feed the cited story, getting cousin distance right keeps the whole family narrative honest.

Designed for Ashkenazi pile-ups

Hundreds of small shared segments are the norm on Jewish kits. We expect that pattern instead of being fooled by it.

Clear about uncertainty

When two relationship paths fit the DNA equally well, we tell you both — not a single tidy answer that hides the doubt.

The same DNA, two answers

Why the correction changes the conclusion

A real-feeling example: an Ashkenazi match sharing 214 cM. Tools that read the raw number call it close; correcting for endogamy reveals a more distant — and more honest — relationship.

Illustrative — not real data

Same shared DNA. Two very different conclusions.

Shared DNA

214 cM

across 9 segments, Ashkenazi match

Naive tools (no correction)

“2nd cousin”

Reads the raw centimorgans straight off a textbook table and reports a close relationship. On Ashkenazi kits this is frequently too close.

Endogamy-corrected (us)

4th cousin, more likely

We adjust for the extra DNA Ashkenazi relatives share by background, then report a range — not a falsely-confident close label.

We don’t tell you a 4th cousin is a 2nd cousin.

The difference

Who actually corrects for this?

Service	What they do	What we do
AncestryDNA / 23andMe	Report a single predicted relationship from raw shared cM. The Ashkenazi adjustment is left entirely to you.	Apply an endogamy correction before reporting, and show a range when one label would mislead.
DNA-Painter WATO	A powerful hypothesis tool that explicitly states it is not reliable under endogamy — you must compensate manually.	Treat endogamy as the default case for Jewish kits, not an edge case you have to handle yourself.
MyHeritage / FTDNA	Surface match lists and cM totals, but the relationship prediction is still uncorrected for population background.	Model the relationship with Ashkenazi sharing built into the math.

Every vendor leaves Ashkenazi correction to you. We do it for you — and admit when we’re unsure.

Start with your free kit

Add a DNA file or a GEDCOM and we begin building your sourced narrative — the first kit is free.

Get honest cousin distances Explore all features