Skip to content

Adam Greenwell

Synonyms Support

Synonyms allow you to define groups of equivalent words, expanding search coverage so users find content even when using different terminology.

How Synonyms Work

When you define synonyms, searching for any word in a group will also find posts containing any other word from that group.

Example:
If you define: car, automobile, vehicle

Then searching for "car" will also find posts with:

  • "automobile"
  • "vehicle"
  • "car"

Configuration

Adding Synonyms

  1. Go to Settings → Lumenare Search → Search Quality Settings
  2. Find Synonyms section
  3. Add synonym groups (one group per line, comma-separated): 
    car, automobile, vehicle
phone, smartphone, mobile
laptop, notebook, computer
  4. Click Save Changes

Note: Synonyms work immediately – no reindexing required.

Format

Correct:

  • One group per line
  • Words separated by commas
  • Spaces after commas optional
  • Case-insensitive

Examples:

car, automobile, vehicle
phone, smartphone, mobile, cellphone
SEO, search engine optimization

Incorrect:

car automobile vehicle  (missing commas)
car,automobile,vehicle  (no spaces - works but less readable)

Use Cases

Product Variations

Example:

laptop, notebook, computer
phone, smartphone, mobile, cellphone
TV, television, telly

Why: Users search with different terms for same products.

Technical Terms

Example:

SEO, search engine optimization
API, application programming interface
CMS, content management system
WordPress, WP

Why: Acronyms and full terms are equivalent.

Common Variations

Example:

email, e-mail
website, web site, site
online, on-line

Why: Spelling variations and formatting differences.

Regional Variations

Example:

color, colour
organize, organise
center, centre

Why: Different spelling conventions.

Best Practices

Keep Groups Focused

Good:

car, automobile, vehicle
phone, smartphone, mobile

Avoid:

car, automobile, vehicle, transportation, travel, journey

Why: Too broad groups reduce precision.

Test Your Synonyms

After adding:

  1. Test searches with synonym terms
  2. Verify results include all variations
  3. Check relevance is maintained
  4. Adjust if needed

Start Small

Begin with:

  • Most important synonym groups
  • Terms you know users search for
  • Common variations in your content

Expand based on:

  • Search analytics
  • Zero-result queries
  • User feedback

Examples

Example 1: Product Catalog

Synonyms:

laptop, notebook
phone, smartphone, mobile
TV, television
car, automobile, vehicle

Search: "laptop"

Finds: Posts with "laptop", "notebook", or both

Example 2: Technical Documentation

Synonyms:

API, application programming interface
CMS, content management system
SEO, search engine optimization

Search: "API"

Finds: Posts with "API" or "application programming interface"

Example 3: Multilingual Content

Synonyms:

hello, hola, bonjour
car, auto, coche, voiture

Search: "car"

Finds: Posts with "car", "auto", "coche", or "voiture"

Positive Effects

Expanded Coverage:

  • Users find content with different terms
  • Reduces zero-result queries
  • Better user experience

Improved Discovery:

  • Content more discoverable
  • Less dependent on exact wording
  • More inclusive results

Considerations

Relevance:

  • Synonyms should be truly equivalent
  • Too broad groups reduce precision
  • Test to ensure relevance maintained

Performance:

  • Minimal performance impact
  • Slight query expansion
  • Usually negligible

Troubleshooting

Synonyms Not Working

Check:

  1. Synonyms are saved correctly
  2. Format is correct (one group per line, comma-separated)
  3. No typos in synonym definitions
  4. Words actually exist in content

Solutions:

  • Verify format
  • Check spelling
  • Test with content that contains synonyms
  • Review synonym configuration

Too Many Results

Symptoms:

  • Synonyms too broad
  • Irrelevant results appearing

Solutions:

  • Make synonym groups more specific
  • Remove overly broad synonyms
  • Test and refine groups
  • Review search results

Synonyms Too Restrictive

Symptoms:

  • Missing equivalent terms
  • Users not finding content

Solutions:

  • Add more synonym groups
  • Review zero-result queries
  • Identify missing variations
  • Expand synonym lists

Advanced Tips

Based on Analytics

Use Search Analytics:

  1. Review zero-result queries
  2. Identify term variations
  3. Add synonyms for variations
  4. Test and refine

Content Analysis

Review Your Content:

  1. Identify equivalent terms used
  2. Group related terms
  3. Add as synonyms
  4. Test searches

User Feedback

Listen to Users:

  1. Note search complaints
  2. Identify term mismatches
  3. Add synonyms
  4. Improve discoverability

← Back to Documentation Home | Fuzzy Matching →