SSC CGL Reasoning · Analogy
Word Analogy
A word analogy gives two words joined by a link. Put the link into a short sentence, then find the option that makes the same sentence true for the new word.
Why this matters
Eighty-four questions in the bank, seventy-one EASY and thirteen MODERATE, thirteen of them from the 2025 shifts. They are the quickest marks in the Reasoning part once the habit is set: say the link aloud in a sentence before you read a single option.
Concept 1 of 4: Meaning pairs: same, opposite or stronger
Most word pairs are linked by meaning. Either the two words mean the same thing, or they mean opposite things, or the second is a stronger form of the first. Decide which one before you look at the options.
Definition
- Make a sentence from the given pair: 'Vacant means the same as empty.'
- Three links cover nearly every meaning pair: same meaning (synonyms), opposite meaning (antonyms) and stronger form (warm and hot: hot is very warm).
- Put the third word into the same sentence and look for the option that completes it.
- Keep the same kind of word: a verb pairs with a verb, an adjective with an adjective.
- Fast route: when the link is 'opposite', first strike out every option that means the same as the third word. SSC usually prints two or three near synonyms as traps, so one or two options are left.
Worked example
Brave : Fearless :: Weary : ? Options: Fresh, Tired, Eager, Strong.
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
SSC CGL · 2025 · Tier I, 15 Sep 2025, Shift 2 · Q13Easy
Example 1 · Analogy · Word Analogy
Choose the correct option to complete the series.
Create : Destroy :: Build : ?
Picking the near synonym when the pair is opposite
In 'Fast : Slow :: Loud : ?', the option Noisy is there because it sits close to loud. The pair is a pair of opposites, so the answer is Quiet.
Stopping at 'they are related'
Two words can be related in more than one way. Name the exact link (same, opposite or stronger) so that an option which fits only a looser link is ruled out.
Concept 2 of 4: Who uses what, and where
Many pairs join a person or a tool with the job it does, the place where it works or the thing it measures. One short sentence with a verb in it names the link: 'a pilot works in a cockpit'.
Definition
- Tool and use: a saw cuts, a spade digs.
- Worker and workplace: a teacher works in a school.
- Worker and what he makes: an author writes a book.
- Instrument and what it measures: a barometer measures air pressure.
- Specialist and what he treats: a dentist treats teeth.
- Thing and where it is worn or kept: a ring is worn on a finger.
- Keep the order. If the first word is the tool, the third word is a tool too, and the answer is its use. In 'select the word pair' questions a reversed pair (use first, tool second) is a common wrong option.
Worked example
Select the pair that has the same link as Pen : Write. Options: (a) Paint : Brush (b) Knife : Cut (c) Book : Read (d) Ink : Pen.
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
SSC CGL · 2025 · Tier I, 16 Sep 2025, Shift 2 · Q12Easy
Example 2 · Analogy · Word Analogy
Choose the correct option to complete the series.
Needle : Sew :: Keyboard : ?
The right words in the wrong order
If the given pair is Saw : Cut, the option Cut : Saw has the same two kinds of word but the wrong order. The answer pair must also put the tool first and the use second.
Workplace or product?
Teacher : School is a worker and a workplace; Teacher : Lesson is a worker and what he gives. Fix which link the given pair uses before you choose, because SSC often prints both kinds among the options.
Concept 3 of 4: Kinds, young ones and what things come from
Another family of pairs links a thing with its group, an animal with its young, a source with what it gives, or a cause with what it causes. The sentence is 'a rose is a kind of flower' or 'a cub is a young lion'.
Definition
- Member and class: a sparrow is a kind of bird.
- Adult and young: a lion has a cub, a goat a kid, a frog a tadpole.
- Male and female: a lion and a lioness, a bull and a cow.
- Source and product: a bee gives honey, wheat gives flour.
- Organ and sense: the eye is the organ of sight, the tongue of taste.
- Lack and disease: a lack of vitamin C causes scurvy, a lack of iodine causes goitre.
- Say which way the pair points: from the bigger group to the member, or from the member to the group. The answer must point the same way.
Worked example
Lion : Cub :: Frog : ? Options: Pond, Tadpole, Toad, Larva.
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
SSC CGL · 2024 · Tier I, 24 Sep 2024, Shift 2 · Q19Easy
Example 3 · Analogy · Word Analogy
Select the option that is related to the third word in the same way as the second word is related to the first word. (The words must be considered as meaningful English words and must not be related to each other based on the number of letters/number of consonants/vowels in the word.)
Pig : Piglets :: Deer : ?
The young of a different animal
A pup is the young of a dog, a foal of a horse, a calf of a cow. SSC puts the young of another animal among the options, so match the animal the question names, not any young one.
Kind of, or part of?
A rose is a kind of flower; a petal is a part of a flower. The two links look alike, so check which one the given pair uses before you pick.
Concept 4 of 4: General-knowledge pairs SSC has asked
Some analogies test a fact rather than a link of meaning: a unit, a capital, a river, a national symbol. Name the link first. Then you either know the matching fact, or you can strike out options by facts you do know.
Definition
- The link is still the first step: 'the joule is the SI unit of energy' tells you the answer is an SI unit.
- Strike out options that break the link outright: a city that is not a capital, a unit of another quantity, a river in another country.
- The table lists links and facts from the bank's own questions.
| Link | Word | Its pair |
|---|---|---|
| SI unit | Energy | Joule |
| SI unit | Frequency | Hertz |
| SI unit | Electric current | Ampere |
| SI unit | Illuminance | Lux |
| SI unit | Force | Newton |
| Capital | Portugal | Lisbon |
| Capital | New Zealand | Wellington |
| Capital | Ethiopia | Addis Ababa |
| Capital | Australia | Canberra |
| Capital | Turkey | Ankara |
| National animal | India | Royal Bengal tiger |
| National bird | India | Peacock |
| National bird | Australia | Emu |
| Chief river | Egypt | Nile |
| Chief river | Myanmar | Irrawaddy |
| Known for | Kaziranga National Park | One-horned rhinoceros |
| Known for | Gir National Park | Asiatic lion |
| Known for | Periyar (Kerala) | Elephants |
| Tournament | Duleep Trophy | Cricket |
| Tournament | Durand Cup | Football |
| Tournament | Aga Khan Cup | Hockey |
| Study of | Botany | Plants |
| Study of | Conchology | Shells |
| Study of | Dermatology | Skin |
| Study of | Ophthalmology | Eyes |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
SSC CGL · 2025 · Tier I, 12 Sep 2025, Shift 1 · Q1Easy
Example 4 · Analogy · Word Analogy
In the following question, select the related word from the given alternatives.
Watt : Power :: Pascal : ?
The biggest city is not always the capital
Istanbul is Turkey's biggest city but its capital is Ankara; Sydney is Australia's biggest city but its capital is Canberra. SSC prints the famous city as a trap.
A unit of the wrong quantity
The newton is the unit of force and the joule the unit of energy. An option that pairs a quantity with another quantity's unit looks right at a glance, so read both halves of every pair.
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Reference tables (1)
General-knowledge pairs SSC has asked25 rows
| Link | Word | Its pair |
|---|---|---|
| SI unit | Energy | Joule |
| SI unit | Frequency | Hertz |
| SI unit | Electric current | Ampere |
| SI unit | Illuminance | Lux |
| SI unit | Force | Newton |
| Capital | Portugal | Lisbon |
| Capital | New Zealand | Wellington |
| Capital | Ethiopia | Addis Ababa |
| Capital | Australia | Canberra |
| Capital | Turkey | Ankara |
| National animal | India | Royal Bengal tiger |
| National bird | India | Peacock |
| National bird | Australia | Emu |
| Chief river | Egypt | Nile |
| Chief river | Myanmar | Irrawaddy |
| Known for | Kaziranga National Park | One-horned rhinoceros |
| Known for | Gir National Park | Asiatic lion |
| Known for | Periyar (Kerala) | Elephants |
| Tournament | Duleep Trophy | Cricket |
| Tournament | Durand Cup | Football |
| Tournament | Aga Khan Cup | Hockey |
| Study of | Botany | Plants |
| Study of | Conchology | Shells |
| Study of | Dermatology | Skin |
| Study of | Ophthalmology | Eyes |
Watch out for (8)
- Picking the near synonym when the pair is opposite→ Meaning pairs: same, opposite or stronger
- Stopping at 'they are related'→ Meaning pairs: same, opposite or stronger
- The right words in the wrong order→ Who uses what, and where
- Workplace or product?→ Who uses what, and where
- The young of a different animal→ Kinds, young ones and what things come from
- Kind of, or part of?→ Kinds, young ones and what things come from
- The biggest city is not always the capital→ General-knowledge pairs SSC has asked
- A unit of the wrong quantity→ General-knowledge pairs SSC has asked
Test yourself on Analogy
20 past SSC CGL questions from this chapter, timed at 12 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.