Using command similarity in an intelligent help system

A data processing system is provided with an intelligent help system and suggests to the user, when the user enters a question or an erroneous command, a valid command. A plurality of intents are stored in the system which define the purposes of the various commands executable by the system. When the user enters a question or an erroneous command, the system looks up the intent corresponding thereto and semantically compares such intent with other intents. When another intent is found, based on such comparison, to be within a predetermined degree of similarity, the command defined by such other intent is offered as a suggestion to the user.