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How to enable Synonym search

In this article, we will show you how to enable the Synonym search option.

Thomas Ta avatar
Written by Thomas Ta
Updated today

📖 In this article, we show you how to enable the Synonym search feature in Boost AI Search & Discovery.

Introduction

Help shoppers find the right products even when their terms differ. For example, map “pregnant pants” to “maternity pants.” Build a synonym library in Boost to avoid no‑results pages, or enable the AI‑powered Search add‑on, which analyzes your catalog and shopper behavior to generate relevant synonyms and help improve conversions.

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Add synonyms

Our app allows you to add synonyms based on your strategies.

1. From the app’s admin, go to Search > Standard Search > Manual Synonyms

2. Click + Add new

3. In Search terms, enter the query you want to map (e.g., pregnant pants).

4. In Direction, choose:

  • Bi-direction <=>: queries match each other both ways.
    ​Example: bikini <=> beachwear, swimwear.

  • Uni-direction =>: query expands to the targets, but not vice versa.
    ​Example: smartphone => Samsung, iPhone.

5. In Synonyms, add a comma‑separated list. (Unlimited values.)

6. [Optional] Check Suggestion list to copy the search term into the Suggestion Dictionary for ranking in autocomplete.

When added to the Suggestion list, the term and all its synonyms get equal priority in suggestions.

💡 Editing a term in the Suggestion list does not auto‑update the Suggestion Dictionary. Update the dictionary manually if needed.

7. Click Save synonyms

8. Click on Test your search to see your changes

💡 Synonyms apply only to these fields: Product Title, Vendor, Product Type, Product Options, Tags.
They do not apply to SKU, barcode, or description.
​Example: With bikini <=> bathing suit, swimsuit, a query for bikini returns items where those terms appear in the fields above; matches found only in description won’t be included.

Edit synonyms

  1. From the app’s admin, go to Search > Standard Search > Manual Synonyms.

  2. Click the Edit icon.

  3. Toggle the Status button of any set of synonyms that you want to enable and disable.

  4. Customize the search terms, the types of synonyms, and the list of synonyms to your liking.

  5. [Optional] Click on the Delete icon if you want to remove it from the app dashboard. Then click Delete.

💡 Remember that the suggestion list won’t sync accordingly as you edit the search terms. To edit the suggestion list and keep syncing synonyms, you can refer to this guide to edit your Suggestion dictionary manually.

Import and export synonyms

Use export/import to back up your synonym library, bulk‑edit it, or move settings between stores.

Export synonyms (CSV)

  1. From the app’s admin, go to Search > Synonyms.

  2. Click Export under the Synonyms heading.

  3. Click Export in the Export synonyms to CSV file pop-up to receive the CSV file of your existing synonym settings.

  4. Open the file and review the contents.

CSV format (semicolon-delimited)

"Search Term";"Synonyms";"Bi Direction";"Enabled"
"Sample01";"sample01a,sample01b";true;true
"Sample02";"sample02a,sample02b";false;true
"Sample03";"sample03a,sample03b";true;true

  • Bi Direction: true = two‑way; false = one‑way.

  • Synonyms: comma‑separated list inside quotes.

Tip: Use quotes for fields with commas or special characters to avoid parsing errors.

Import synonyms (CSV)

  1. From the app’s admin, go to Search > Synonyms.

  2. Prepare your CSV file with synonyms that you want to import into the app. You can download the sample to understand all fields that your CSV file can contain.

  3. Click Import under the Synonyms heading.

  4. Click the Choose file button and select the CSV file that you want to import.

  5. Click Upload.

  6. You will receive a message about new synonyms that the CSV file contains. Check this notification to make sure all synonyms that you want to import are recognized. Then click Import.

  7. After successfully importing, you will receive the following message:

💡 Notes

  • Required columns are indicated in the import dialog—ensure they’re filled.

  • If you see errors, check quoting, delimiters (;), and spelling of column headers.

  • You can edit the CSV with any plain‑text editor (e.g., Notepad, TextEdit).

8. You can continue to import synonyms by clicking Import more synonyms and repeating the above steps.

9. Select View all synonyms to make sure all the synonyms have been added to the app’s admin.

Tutorial video

Feel free to reach out to our dedicated support team via chat if you have any questions or require additional assistance.

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