Question

Fill in the blank with the correct option.
Synonyms are words that have _________.
a. similar sound
b. similar spelling
c. similar meaning
d. both a & b

Answer 1

Hint: The words ‘close’ and ‘near’ can be called synonyms. Find the link between these two words.

Complete step by step solution: A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in the same language.
For example, the words ‘fast’ and ‘quick’ can be called synonyms. This is because their meanings convey the same thing. ‘Fast’ and ‘quick’ both refer to ‘moving or capable of moving at high speed’.
Hence, words that mean the same thing are called synonyms.
So, we can infer that the correct answer is option ‘c’.

Now, let’s look at the other options:
a. Similar sound - When words are spelled the same and sound the same but have different meanings, then they are called homonyms. ’Hole’ and ‘whole’ are homonyms of each other. Homonyms are not similar to synonyms at all. So, this is an incorrect option.
b. Similar spelling - Words that have the same spelling but a different sound and meaning, are called ‘homographs’. For example, ‘wind’ (pronounced w-in-d) and ‘wind’ (pronounced w-eye-nd) are homographs. Homographs are also not similar to synonyms of each other. So, this is an incorrect option.

Option ‘d’ is incorrect as those words can also be ‘homonyms’. A combination of homophones and homographs.

Note: Synonyms are distinctly different from homonyms and homographs. Do not confuse the three for each other. Try to strictly identify what synonyms are.