How to Answer 11+ Word Analogy Questions

A word analogy question gives you a pair of words that are connected in some way — kitten and cat, glove and hand — and asks you to build a second pair with exactly the same connection. In the formats used in UK 11+ entrance exams it almost always looks like this: "A is to B as C is to ?", followed by four or five answer choices.

The type really tests two things: whether you can spot how two words are related, and whether you can hold on to that relationship while tempting wrong answers try to pull you off course. The words themselves are usually ones a nine-year-old already knows — this is not a vocabulary test in disguise.

That is exactly why children find analogies friendly at first and slippery later. Nobody gets stuck on the words — they get caught by an answer that is connected to the third word, just not in the right way. The fix is a habit, not a talent: turn the connection into a sentence before you look at the answers.

The method

1. Cover the answer choices. Read only the first pair of words.
2. Make a sentence that explains the connection. Say it in your head: "a kitten is a baby cat."
3. Reuse your sentence on the third word. "So a puppy is a baby...?" Now you know exactly what you are hunting for before any answer can distract you.
4. Uncover the options and test each one in your sentence. Cross out every word that breaks it.
5. If two answers seem to fit, make your sentence more precise. "Lives in" is different from "is made of", and "is part of" is different from "is used for". A sharper sentence leaves only one survivor.
6. Read the finished pair back. "A is to B as C is to D" should sound balanced, with the connection running in the same direction both times.

Worked examples

Example 1

Honey is to bee as milk is to ?

A. cow B. dairy C. butter D. grass

1. Sentence: honey is made by a bee.
2. Reuse it: milk is made by a...?
3. Test the options: a dairy sells milk, butter is made from milk, grass is what the animal eats. Only one option actually makes milk.
4. The answer is A. cow.

Example 2

Orchestra is to conductor as team is to ?

A. player B. captain C. trophy D. match

1. Sentence: an orchestra is led by a conductor.
2. Reuse it: a team is led by a...?
3. A player belongs to a team but does not lead it. A trophy and a match are just things a team meets on a Saturday.
4. The answer is B. captain.

Example 3

Silence is to sound as darkness is to ?

A. night B. light C. shadow D. moon E. sleep

1. This one needs a precise sentence. Silence is not just "quiet" — silence is the complete absence of sound.
2. Reuse it: darkness is the complete absence of...?
3. Night, shadow, moon and sleep are all things you find in the dark. None of them is the thing that darkness lacks.
4. The answer is B. light.

The traps

The best friend. The most tempting wrong answer is usually a word that goes with the third word — just not in the right way. In "teacher is to pupil as doctor is to ?", both nurse and hospital feel right next to doctor, but a teacher looks after pupils, so a doctor looks after patients. Your sentence is what keeps you honest.

The twin of the third word. In "whisper is to shout as walk is to ?", the option stroll is almost a synonym of walk — which is exactly why it is wrong. The connection is quiet-to-loud, so walk must become its faster, stronger version: run.

The right words in the wrong direction. "Cub is to bear" runs young-to-adult. If you let the sentence flip halfway through, you will happily pick an answer that runs adult-to-young instead. Say the full finished pair back to yourself before you move on.

Try these yourself

1.

Bird is to nest as rabbit is to ?

A. burrow B. carrot C. field D. fur

2.

Drought is to water as starvation is to ?

A. rain B. food C. land D. heat

3.

Frugal is to wasteful as humble is to ?

A. modest B. boastful C. shy D. kind E. poor

Answers

• 1: A — a bird lives in a nest; a rabbit lives in a burrow.
• 2: B — a drought is a severe lack of water; starvation is a severe lack of food.
• 3: B — frugal and wasteful are opposites, so humble needs its opposite: boastful.

Related

• the complete 11+ question-type guide
• VR: Word Relationships — the same idea, but you choose both ends of the second pair
• VR: Double Meanings — one word doing two jobs at once

All example questions come from the Brainblox question bank — practise this question type inside 15 arcade games, timed mock exams and focused practice. Brainblox is an independent app: not affiliated with, endorsed by or licensed by any exam board, school or assessment publisher, and it contains no past papers.