# Synonyms

You can create a list of synonyms of words so that when users search for particular words, the results also include synonyms of their search terms. For example, you can set up a synonym group so that when a user searches for dog, the results that they see also include documents with the words labrador, poodle, terrier, and so on.

CAUTION: You cannot add Boolean operators such as AND, OR, or NOT to your synonym groups.

To create a new synonym group

1. In the main navigation on the left of the page, click Keywords. The Keywords page opens.
2. Click New.
3. Click Synonyms.
4. Click the arrow next to the Language list, then select the language for the synonym group.
5. Click Continue.

6. In the text box, type the terms that you want to add to the synonym group, then click +. Separate multiple terms with spaces. To remove a term, click the x next to it.

   TIP: To include a phrase in your synonym group, include the phrase in quotation marks. For example, bengal "norwegian forest cat" burmese. If a phrase synonym group is matched, IDOL Data Admin displays the expanded query after the QMS rules were applied.

7. Select the synonym type, OR or SYNONYM. The default type, OR, uses an OR query operator between synonymous terms in the expanded IDOL query. The SYNONYM type uses the newer SYNONYM query operator.

   Both synonym types match documents that contain any of the synonym terms, but the result relevance scores (and result ordering) might differ. With OR, IDOL treats all the synonyms as separate query terms, and if a document matches more synonyms it has a higher score. With SYNONYM, IDOL scores the results as if all synonyms were a single query term, so that a document that matches multiple different synonyms is equivalent to a document with multiple occurrences of one synonym.

8. Click Finish. IDOL Data Admin adds the terms that you entered to the synonym group, then takes you to the search results for the group. This allows you to test the synonym group that you created to make sure it works as you expect.

You can view and edit your synonyms and other keywords on the main Keywords page (see Keywords Page for more information).

## Add a Database Match to a Synonym Group

After you create a synonym group, you can add a database match. The database match means that IDOL applies a particular synonym group to a query only if the query requests documents from the databases in the synonym rule.

To add a database match to a synonym group

1. On the Keywords page, find the synonym group in the list.
2. Click +ADD DATABASE MATCH.
3. In the list, select the databases that you want the synonym rule to apply to. IDOL applies the synonym rule to any query that requests documents from at least one of these databases (the user must request the database explicitly).
4. Click .

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