What does analogy mean?
Word: Analogy
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Analogy means a comparison that explains one thing by showing how it is like another. Saying that the heart works like a pump is an analogy.
Synonyms: comparison, parallel
Word origin: From Greek analogia, which reached English through Latin and French.
How do you spell analogy?
Syllables: a - nal - o - gy
Tricky part: The word opens with ana, an a on each side of the n, just as analyse does. Because that first sound is weak, students often write enalogy or anology.
Watch out for: anology, enalogy, annalogy
Memory tip: Analogy and analyse begin with the same three letters, a-n-a: if you can start one of them, you can start the other.
Analogy in a sentence
Example 1: Grandma explained the internet with an analogy: it is like a huge library where every shelf is linked to every other.
Example 2: The coach drew an analogy between a cricket team and a family, where each member looks out for the rest.
Example 3: In the reasoning paper, each analogy question gave two linked words and asked us to find a pair linked in the same way.
Fun Fact
Linguists use analogy to explain how languages change: a small child who says goed instead of went is copying the pattern of walked and played, which is analogy at work.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
ana___gy
a) lou
b) lo
c) llo
d) la
Show answer
b) lo. One l follows ana, and then comes o, the same lo you hear in apology.
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
Analogy comes from the Greek word analogia. In Greek mathematics, analogia meant ___.
a) a straight line
b) a large number
c) proportion
d) a solid shape
Show answer
c) proportion. Greek mathematicians used analogia for proportion, a likeness between two ratios, and the idea of likeness carried over into English.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their meanings:
1. analogy 2. anecdote 3. allegory a. a short, interesting story about a real person or event b. a story in which the characters and events stand for deeper ideas c. a comparison that shows how two things are alike
a) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
b) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
c) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
d) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
Show answer
a) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b. An analogy compares, an anecdote tells a short true story, and an allegory hides a deeper meaning inside its story.
Sound Check
In which word is 'g' pronounced differently?
a) analogue
b) theology
c) apology
d) analogy
Show answer
a) analogue. In analogue the g is hard, as in go; in analogy, apology and theology it is soft, like the j in jam.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which sentence contains an analogy?
a) The school garden has roses, lilies and marigolds.
b) A good teacher is like a gardener who helps young plants grow.
c) Our gardener waters the plants early every morning.
d) Plants need sunlight, water and good soil to grow.
Show answer
b) A good teacher is like a gardener who helps young plants grow.
2. Complete the analogy: bird is to nest as bee is to ___.
a) honey
b) flower
c) hive
d) wing
Show answer
c) hive
