Understanding Word Analogies

Word analogies are questions used on many standardized tests to evaluate your logic, reasoning, and word knowledge. They test your ability to see the relationship between two words and then apply that same relationship to another pair of words.

The format is often written like this:

puppy : dog :: kitten : cat

You would read this as: "Puppy is to dog as kitten is to cat."

The Key to Solving Analogies

The most important step is to precisely describe the relationship between the first pair of words. Instead of just saying "puppy is to dog," a more precise relationship is "a puppy is a young dog."

Once you have that precise relationship, you can apply it to the second pair to find the missing word: "a kitten is a young..." The answer, of course, is cat.

Common Types of Analogies

Analogies can be based on several types of relationships. Here are some of the most common ones:

  • Part to Whole: One word is a part of the other.

    • Example: spoke : wheel (A spoke is part of a wheel.)

  • Type and Category: One word is a specific type within a broader category.

    • Example: orange : citrus (An orange is a type of citrus fruit.) * Degree of Intensity: The words show a difference in level or strength.

    • Example: shower : monsoon (A shower is light rain, while a monsoon is very heavy rain.)

  • Function: One word describes the purpose or use of the other.

    • Example: hammer : build (A hammer is a tool used to build things.)

  • Manner: One word describes the way an action is done.

    • Example: shamble : walk (To shamble is to walk in a clumsy or awkward way.)

  • Symbol/Representation: One word is a symbol for the other.

    • Example: dove : peace (A dove is a symbol of peace.) * Synonyms or Antonyms: The words either have the same meaning (synonyms) or opposite meanings (antonyms).

    • Example (Synonym): liberal : generous

  • Factual Content: These require specific knowledge, often in science or other subjects.

    • Example: iron : Fe :: silver : Ag (You need to know the chemical symbols.)

Strategies for Success

  • Use Logic for Unfamiliar Words: Even if you don't know the words, you can sometimes figure out the answer. For example, in Sherpa : Tibet :: Massai : _____, if your choices are mountain, bicycle, Kenya, desert, you can deduce that since Tibet is a country, the answer is likely another country, Kenya.

  • Watch Out for Traps: Test makers create tricky wrong answers. Be careful not to choose an answer just because it's related to the topic of the first pair. Always focus on the relationship. For example: warm : hot :: amusing : _____ The relationship is degree (warm is less intense than hot). The correct answer is hilarious (amusing is less intense than hilarious). A trap answer might be summer, because "warm" and "hot" remind you of summer, but that's not the relationship being tested.

  • Practice Makes Perfect: The more you practice, the faster and more accurately you'll be able to identify the relationships and solve the analogies. This will help you manage your time effectively on a timed test.