Word Analogies: Finding the Hidden Link

Word Analogies: Finding the Hidden Link

What is an analogy?

An analogy is a little puzzle about relationships between words. It looks like this:

Kitten is to cat as puppy is to ?

The first pair shows you a link: a kitten is a young cat. So the answer must make the second pair match: a puppy is a young dog.

The golden rule: the link matters, not the words. You are not looking for a word that reminds you of "puppy" — you are copying the relationship.

The one-sentence trick

Before you look at any answer options, say the first pair as a sentence:

"A kitten is a young cat."

Now reuse your sentence with the third word:

"A puppy is a young ______."

If your sentence works, you have found the answer. If two options both seem to fit, your sentence was too vague — make it more precise. "A kitten is related to a cat" is too loose; "a kitten is a young cat" is exact.

The five relationship families

Almost every analogy you will meet belongs to one of these families:

1. Opposites — the words point in opposite directions.

Hot is to cold as light is to dark.

2. Synonyms — the words mean nearly the same thing.

Big is to enormous as small is to tiny.

3. Part and whole — one word is a piece of the other.

Petal is to flower as page is to book.

4. Doer and doing — a person or thing and what it does, uses or makes.

Chef is to kitchen as surgeon is to operating theatre. Scissors are to cutting as pen is to writing.

5. Degree — the same idea, but stronger or weaker.

Warm is to scorching as cool is to freezing.

Name the family first, then the exact link inside it.

Watch out for these traps

• Order matters. If the first pair goes small → big (kitten → cat), the second pair must go small → big too. An answer that reverses the direction is wrong even if the words are related.
• The tempting cousin. Options often include a word connected to the third word but not by the right link. For puppy, "bone" and "bark" are tempting — but neither is what a puppy is a young version of.
• Word class must match. If the pair is noun → noun, the answer will be a noun. If it is adjective → adjective, look for an adjective.

Worked example

Author is to book as composer is to ? A) piano B) orchestra C) symphony D) concert E) musician

Sentence: "An author creates a book." Reuse it: "A composer creates a ______." A composer plays a piano, conducts an orchestra, performs at a concert — but creates a symphony. The answer is C.

Try these yourself

1. Glove is to hand as sock is to ______.
2. Brave is to cowardly as generous is to ______.
3. Drizzle is to downpour as breeze is to ______.

Answers

1. foot (a glove covers a hand; a sock covers a foot)
2. selfish or mean (opposites)
3. gale (a weaker and a stronger version of the same weather)

When you practise, always whisper the link-sentence first. It turns a guessing game into a checking game — and checkers beat guessers in the exam room.

Exam corner ⏱️

• Budget about 30 seconds per analogy. Say the link-sentence, pick, move on.
• Eliminate the wrong word class first — if the pair is noun → noun, cross out every option that isn't a noun before you even think about meaning.
• If you're torn between two options, the more precise one usually wins: sett beats den for a badger, because sett is exactly a badger's home.
• Never leave a blank. A choice from two options you half-like is worth more than an empty box.

Quick quiz 🎯

1. Toe is to foot as finger is to ______.
2. Whisper is to shout as walk is to ______.
3. Bee is to hive as rabbit is to ______.

Quiz answers

1. hand — a toe is part of a foot; a finger is part of a hand.
2. run (or sprint) — a quieter and a louder version, so we need a slower and a faster version.
3. warren — the animal and the name of its home.