You may have already looked at antonyms (words meaning the opposite to each other) but now here’s a challenge about synonyms.

Can you help us out with these, word detective?

 

What do you notice about the words below?

quarrel        bicker        squabble

 

They all mean the same thing...argue!

 

These words are called synonyms.

Synonyms are words that mean the same or have a very similar meaning to other words.

 

Which of the following are synonyms for astonish?

amaze        stun        surprise        expect        predict

 

Amaze, stun and surprise are all synonyms as they mean the same or a similar thing.

 

A thesaurus is a great resource to use to look up synonyms for words.

 

Let’s try another:

They knew it was an accident.

Which of the following words is a synonym for accident and could replace it in the sentence?

plan        misunderstanding        mistake

 

The answer is mistake as it has the closest meaning to accident.

 

 

Pssstt!! Here’s a handy hint to help you reach superstar status:

The first letter of the word synonym is the same as the first letter for similar.  

It’s a clever trick to remember what synonym means.

 

 

If you come across any new words in this activity, make a note of them so that you can use them in your writing.

 

It’s now your turn to identify synonyms.  

Good luck!