Synonyms in your studies: finding the right word

Reviewed by Benjamin Lohrer, editor at corrected.eu · Last updated: 5 August 2026

Why synonyms are not a swap

A thesaurus gives you words that mean roughly the same thing. In an academic text, "roughly" is not enough. Replace moreover with furthermore and little changes. Replace important with crucial and you turn a judgement into a claim that needs evidence. Both sentences are grammatical, but they say different things.

This overview collects the kinds of words that are swapped most often in term papers and theses, and sorts the alternatives by what they actually claim.

The three questions before every word change

First: what is the word supposed to do? Linking words such as also, moreover or in addition set up a relationship between two statements. Evaluating words such as important, central or decisive claim a property. If you do not know the function, you swap by chance and shift the statement.

Second: does the new word change the strength? Many synonyms are not equations but steps on a scale. Relevant, significant, central and essential point in the same direction with growing strength. Reaching one step too high is the most common error when revising, because the stronger word first sounds better.

Third: does the sentence need the word at all? Often the best alternative is to delete it. A text that manages without a linking word reads more clearly than one in which every paragraph starts with moreover. The same goes for evaluating adjectives.

Examples: one weak word, several different claims

important

The word claims significance without naming it. Better alternatives say what makes the thing important:

Each version asserts something different. Pick the one you can support.

shows

Verbs for presenting evidence form a ladder of strength. The higher the step, the more evidence you need:

also, moreover, furthermore

These words string arguments together, but not in the same way. Also adds an item. Moreover and furthermore add a point that strengthens the previous one. In addition is neutral. Similarly and likewise do something else: they say that the second point is like the first, not just added to it.

however, nevertheless, but

However and nevertheless both signal a contrast, but nevertheless adds "despite what I just said". In a main clause, join the two sentences with a semicolon or a full stop, not just a comma:

significant, considerable, marked

In statistics, significant has a technical meaning: the result passed a test at a stated threshold. In an academic text, do not use it for "large" or "notable". Use considerable, marked or substantial for size, and keep significant for tested results.

problem, challenge, difficulty

Challenge softens a problem and moves responsibility elsewhere. A problem has no known solution; a task (exercise, assignment) does. Use challenge only where the tone calls for it.

because, since, as

Because gives a reason the reader may not know. Since and as give a reason the reader already knows. Do not mix them up with since in its time sense, which can make a sentence ambiguous: "Since the experiment ended, the data have been analysed" can mean either.

Synonyms in German

The same traps exist in German, and a few words need extra care for English readers. These German words are often swapped, and their English equivalents show the point.

False friends are a typical source of faulty synonyms for English speakers writing in German, and for German speakers writing in English. German aktuell means "current", not "actual", and English eventually means "in the end", not German eventuell ("possibly").

A simple checklist for any word change

1. Say in your own words what the original word claims.
2. Check the new word in a good dictionary, with example sentences, not only in a thesaurus list.
3. Compare the strength: is the new word stronger, weaker or the same?
4. Check the register: does it fit an academic text?
5. Ask whether you can simply delete the word.

Our editors check word choice as part of an edit. See editing and proofreading and editing for details, and stylistic devices for the effect of word choice on style.