Synonyms and Antonyms for Year 6 SATs

What Are Synonyms?

Synonyms are words that mean the same (or nearly the same) thing. They let you avoid repeating the same word and make your writing more interesting.

Note: synonyms don’t have to be an exact match. “Happy” and “ecstatic” are both positive feelings, but “ecstatic” is much stronger. Context matters.

What Are Antonyms?

Antonyms are words with opposite meanings.

Many antonyms use prefixes: happy → unhappy, possible →impossible, appear → disappear. Knowing common prefixes is a shortcut.

Finding Synonyms in Context (Reading Paper)

The reading paper often asks: “Find and copy one word that means…” The word they want is sitting right there in the text. Your child needs to:

1. Read the question carefully — what meaning are they looking for?
2. Go to the specified paragraph or lines.
3. Scan for a word that matches the meaning given in the question.
4. Copy the word exactly as it appears (including any suffix).

Building Vocabulary

The best way to get better at synonym and antonym questions is to build a wider vocabulary. Here are some practical tips:

• When reading, pause at unfamiliar words and discuss what they mean.
• Keep a vocabulary notebook — write new words alongside a synonym and an antonym.
• Play word games: “Can you think of three different words for ‘walked’?”
• Use a thesaurus (physical or online) to explore word families.

SATs-Style Example Question

Common Mistakes to Watch For

• Copying more than one word — when the question says “find and copy one word”, write exactly one word. Not a phrase.
• Ignoring context — “bright” can mean clever or shiny. The surrounding sentence tells you which meaning is intended.
• Choosing a word with a similar topic but wrong meaning — “angry” and “reluctant” are both negative feelings, but they don’t mean the same thing.
• Misspelling the copied word — copy it exactly from the text. No need to spell from memory.