ISEE Synonyms Practice: A Three-Step Method for Middle Level

A three-step method

This section explains the order of thinking that works for synonym questions, so that each choice is judged by meaning. A synonym question gives one capitalized word and four options, and the task is to select the option closest in meaning. The common mistake is to scan the options first and select the word that looks most familiar. Familiarity feels like knowledge, but it does not show that two words mean the same thing.

The method has three steps, and each step removes options so that the final comparison involves as few words as possible.

Step 1: Define the word before reading the choices

The student states the capitalized word in plain language, either silently or in a few words on scratch paper. For frugal, a useful definition is “careful about spending.” For tenacious, it is “does not give up.” A definition made before reading the options cannot be steered by a tempting distractor.

Two additions make the definition stronger. The first is tone: the student notes whether the word is positive, negative or neutral. The second is a short phrase that uses the word, such as a frugal shopper or a tenacious defender. A phrase helps when a word has more than one meaning, because it forces a choice of one meaning before the options appear.

When the word is unfamiliar, the student works with what is available: a root or prefix, a word from the same family, or the setting in which the word seems to belong. A partial definition is still useful, because it usually removes at least one option.

Step 2: Remove opposites and unrelated words

With a definition in mind, the student reads all four options and eliminates the clear misses. Two kinds of options go first. Opposites reverse the meaning of the stem word, and unrelated words have no connection to it. Removing these usually leaves two options, and sometimes only one.

The student should not stop at the first option that seems acceptable. Reading all four is quick at this stage, and it protects against a close option appearing later in the list.

Step 3: Compare the close options for precision

When two options remain, the question is no longer which word is related but which word is more exact. The student places each remaining option next to the stem word and tests three things:

Check	What the answer must show
Tone	The option feels as positive, negative or neutral as the stem word.
Strength	The option is as strong as the stem word, not noticeably weaker or stronger.
Substitution	In the phrase from step 1, the option can replace the stem word without changing the meaning.

The option that passes all three checks is the answer. An option that is related but fails on tone or strength is the usual trap, and it is the reason this step exists.

Try the example

The question below follows the three steps at Middle Level difficulty. The student should work through the steps before selecting a choice, and then read the explanation under the answer.

At the Middle Level, Verbal Reasoning has 40 questions in 20 minutes, so a student has about 30 seconds per item. In practice, steps 1 and 2 should take only a few seconds; the remaining time belongs to the comparison in step 3.

Source: E3n, ISEE overview (admission.org), checked 2026-08-24.

Why each answer works or does not

This section walks through the example in words, option by option, so that the reasoning can be reused on other questions. The stem word is frugal, and the definition from step 1 is “careful about spending, without waste.”

• (C) wasteful is an opposite. It describes spending carelessly, so it reverses the meaning and is removed in step 2.
• (D) wealthy shares the topic of money but describes a different idea. It tells how much a person has, not how the person spends it. It is removed in step 2 as unrelated in meaning, even though it is related in subject.
• (A) stingy and (B) thrifty remain for step 3. Both describe someone who spends little, which is why the pair is difficult. The tone check separates them. Stingy is negative and suggests an unwillingness to spend or share, while frugal is neutral to positive and describes a sensible habit.
• (B) thrifty passes the tone, strength and substitution checks. A frugal shopper and a thrifty shopper describe the same person in the same way, so thrifty is the answer.

The pattern is typical of the Middle Level. One option is an opposite, one shares the topic, one is close but carries the wrong tone, and one is correct. Students who recognize this pattern can work more quickly, because they know what each kind of distractor looks like.

Common traps

This section lists the errors that appear most often in synonym practice, with the habit that corrects each one.

• Choosing the familiar word. A student selects the option that has been seen most often. The correction is to finish step 1 before reading the choices, so that the definition leads the decision.
• Choosing the same-topic word. Options such as wealthy for frugal belong to the same subject area but do not match in meaning. The correction is to ask whether the option could replace the stem word in a phrase.
• Ignoring tone and strength. Two words can point in the same direction and still differ in intensity or attitude, as stingy and frugal do. The correction is to name the tone of the stem word in step 1.
• Missing a second meaning. Words such as novel or plain have more than one common meaning, and the question may test the less familiar one. The correction is to use a phrase in step 1 and check whether the option fits that phrase.
• Spending too long on one word. A student who stalls on a difficult word loses time for the rest of the section. The practical approach is to eliminate what is clearly wrong, enter an answer, mark the question and return only if time remains.

Your next step

This section describes how to turn the method into a habit. Students benefit from practicing the three steps on a small number of questions, saying each definition and each elimination aloud, until the order feels automatic. A short, regular session works better than a long, occasional one, and every missed question should be sorted into one of the traps above.

Synonyms are one of two question types in this section. The Verbal Reasoning overview covers both types, and the lesson on sentence completion applies a similar predict-first approach to the other type. Students who want to apply the method on timed questions can use the free trial, which includes practice in the same format. Families who would like a teacher to review a student’s missed questions can book a free consultation.

Original practice item written by the ISEEPrep teaching team; not a question from the actual ISEE.