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Elastic Docs ›Elasticsearch Reference [5.4] ›Analysis ›Token Filters
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Synonym Token Filteredit

The synonym token filter allows to easily handle synonyms during the analysis process. Synonyms are configured using a configuration file. Here is an example:

PUT /test_index
{
    "settings": {
        "index" : {
            "analysis" : {
                "filter" : {
                    "synonym" : {
                        "type" : "synonym", 
                        "synonyms_path" : "analysis/synonym.txt",
                        "tokenizer" : "whitespace" 
                    }
                },
                "analyzer" : {
                    "synonym" : {
                        "tokenizer" : "whitespace",
                        "filter" : ["synonym"] 
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

We configure a synonym filter, with a path of analysis/synonym.txt (relative to the config location).

The tokenizer parameter controls the tokenizers that will be used to tokenize the synonym, and defaults to the whitespace tokenizer. Additional settings are: ignore_case (defaults to false), and expand (defaults to true).

The synonym analyzer is then configured with the filter.

Two synonym formats are supported: Solr, WordNet.

Solr synonymsedit

The following is a sample format of the file:

# Blank lines and lines starting with pound are comments.

# Explicit mappings match any token sequence on the LHS of "=>"
# and replace with all alternatives on the RHS.  These types of mappings
# ignore the expand parameter in the schema.
# Examples:
i-pod, i pod => ipod,
sea biscuit, sea biscit => seabiscuit

# Equivalent synonyms may be separated with commas and give
# no explicit mapping.  In this case the mapping behavior will
# be taken from the expand parameter in the schema.  This allows
# the same synonym file to be used in different synonym handling strategies.
# Examples:
ipod, i-pod, i pod
foozball , foosball
universe , cosmos
lol, laughing out loud

# If expand==true, "ipod, i-pod, i pod" is equivalent
# to the explicit mapping:
ipod, i-pod, i pod => ipod, i-pod, i pod
# If expand==false, "ipod, i-pod, i pod" is equivalent
# to the explicit mapping:
ipod, i-pod, i pod => ipod

# Multiple synonym mapping entries are merged.
foo => foo bar
foo => baz
# is equivalent to
foo => foo bar, baz

You can also define synonyms for the filter directly in the configuration file (note use of synonyms instead of synonyms_path):

PUT /test_index
{
    "settings": {
        "index" : {
            "analysis" : {
                "filter" : {
                    "synonym" : {
                        "type" : "synonym",
                        "synonyms" : [
                            "i-pod, i pod => ipod",
                            "universe, cosmos"
                        ]
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

However, it is recommended to define large synonyms set in a file using synonyms_path, because specifying them inline increases cluster size unnecessarily.

WordNet synonymsedit

Synonyms based on WordNet format can be declared using format:

PUT /test_index
{
    "settings": {
        "index" : {
            "analysis" : {
                "filter" : {
                    "synonym" : {
                        "type" : "synonym",
                        "format" : "wordnet",
                        "synonyms" : [
                            "s(100000001,1,'abstain',v,1,0).",
                            "s(100000001,2,'refrain',v,1,0).",
                            "s(100000001,3,'desist',v,1,0)."
                        ]
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

Using synonyms_path to define WordNet synonyms in a file is supported as well.

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