---
sourceDocument: Xanadu ServiceNow AI Platform Administration
sourceDocumentLink: https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/r/xanadu/platform-administration

 Release :

    - xanadu

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Xanadu ServiceNow AI Platform Administration

ft:clusterId :

    - platadm

bundleId :

    - platadm

workflow :

    - Platform


---

# Zing can expand search results with synonyms

# Zing can expand search results with synonyms {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Xanadu
* 
* Updated May 5, 2025
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 1 minute to read

Expand search results to include additional search terms.  
By default, Zing includes a sample synonym dictionary consisting of a list of synonym sets (synsets). Zing supports two types of synonym sets.{#search-synonyms-expand-results__table_elz_kyb_fx__entry__3}

| Synonym set type | Description | Example |
|-|-|-|
| Synonym list | A synonym list is a list of words separated by commas. When a search uses any word from the list, Zing expands the search to include all words in the list. | Cyber,Internet,Cybercafe |
| Synonym map | A synonym map is two word lists separated by the equal and greater than characters =\> . When a search uses any word from the list on the left, Zing expands the search to include all words from the list on the right. When a search uses a word from the list on the right, Zing doesn't expand the search to include terms from the list on the left. | IOT,Internet of Things=\>Chip,Nest thermostat,RFID,IOT |
[Table 1. Synonym set types]

{#search-synonyms-expand-results__table_elz_kyb_fx}

## Search results, synonym expansion and weighting {#search-synonyms-expand-results__section_zjn_qql_rgb}

In search results, documents containing the original search keywords have a higher score than documents containing the search synonyms. For example, documents with the search keyword <kbd class="ph userinput">IOT</kbd> have a higher score than documents with the synonym <kbd class="ph userinput">Internet of Things</kbd>.

* One-way synonym expansion to/from multiple terms <kbd class="ph userinput">(blork, cork =&gt; malork, elastic)</kbd> works as expected. <kbd class="ph userinput">Blork</kbd> and <kbd class="ph userinput">cork</kbd> both expand to <kbd class="ph userinput">malork</kbd> and <kbd class="ph userinput">elastic</kbd>.
* Multi-level one-way expansion <kbd class="ph userinput">(blork =&gt; cork =&gt; malork)</kbd> doesn't work transitively. Neither <kbd class="ph userinput">blork</kbd> nor <kbd class="ph userinput">cork</kbd> expands to <kbd class="ph userinput">malork</kbd>.
* Multi-level one-way expansion split between multiple synonym set records <kbd class="ph userinput">(blork =&gt; cork)(cork =&gt; malork)</kbd> doesn't work transitively. Only <kbd class="ph userinput">cork</kbd> expands to <kbd class="ph userinput">malork</kbd>, <kbd class="ph userinput">blork</kbd> only expands to <kbd class="ph userinput">cork</kbd> but not <kbd class="ph userinput">malork</kbd>.
{#search-synonyms-expand-results__ul_wcl_nsl_rgb}

By default, synonyms don't use the same weight as regular search terms. Synonyms are only weighted at 10% of the default search weight. Additionally, multiple instances of a synonym in a single doc/field don't increase the
search weight. The weight of synonyms is controlled by the property glide.ts.synonym.expanded.boost. When this property value = 1, synonyms are weighted equally to normal search terms. 0.5 = 50% weight
etc.

## Wildcard characters and synonym matching {#search-synonyms-expand-results__id_ckr_xhs_ffc}

Zing doesn't expand the <kbd class="ph userinput">%</kbd> and <kbd class="ph userinput">*</kbd> wildcard characters when looking for synonyms that match your search term. These characters are treated as literal characters when finding matching
synonyms. As an example, if you search for <kbd class="ph userinput">issu*</kbd>, Zing doesn't find synonyms for issue, but it does find synonyms for issu\*.
* **[Enable search synonyms](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/e9_svviH0Jxfs~Br3PsgwA)**   
  Enabling text index synonyms allows Zing to expand text searches with additional search keywords.
* **[Create synonym dictionaries](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/nI_aol1YdU2AFE6asfQ3jQ)**   
  You can create synonym dictionaries to expand Zing text searches with additional search keywords.
* **[Select synonym dictionaries for a table](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/AswtsRNpEKfhDl61zBnLiw)**   
  Search administrators can specify one or more synonym dictionaries available to a particular table.
* **[Disable synonyms for a table](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/6R3DE~6AJeVgO9U1pSlX6Q)**   
  By default, Zing uses all active synonym dictionaries when a user performs a text search. Search administrators can disable synonym dictionary usage on a per-table basis.
* **[Debug synonym searches](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/Hb0hADbgqMfp6QaeCSZAGw)**   
  You can view debug messages to determine if synonym searches are working as expected.

**Related concepts**   

* [Available search options](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/YXLvLR59kI_DRCWicLOVWw "Zing offers users several search interfaces and search operators to conduct text searches.")
* [Global search finds records from multiple tables](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/2bOiNrNnOg~tzsnBhO0tfg "Search multiple record types from a single search field.")
* [Zing generates search results in four phases](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/I4v9owTFQI69LAd1QCDt6Q "Generate search results by dividing documents among shards, searching shard documents, scoring shard documents, and merging scores into an index.")
* [Zing filters search results with access controls](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/ClO4ivYixkQWnXafYN3MuA "Zing filters search results to only display records the user can access.")
* [Zing computes document scores using three components](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/MDC5irr1oMVYfPi~eobWAQ "The Zing search engine computes document scores based on the frequency, sequence, and weight of search terms in the document.")
* [Zing indexes words](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/AB8NyACY6I7vgRVk1I020g "Index documents by dividing them into words. Depending on the languages your instance supports, a word may be a single character such as a Chinese or Japanese pictogram or a sequence of characters separated by spaces such as with Latin, Arabic, and Pinyin languages.")
* [Zing can include attachments in search results](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/HKHetJGR~OH_SaAsHKC7cw "Search content from attachments on indexed tables. Display attachments for search results from the Knowledge [kb_knowledge] table.")
* [Zing removes stop words from queries](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/bW0xB8UoGIAvpHhwGVq1hA "Remove common words from search queries that don't produce meaningful results.")
* [Zing matches derived words with stemming](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/LYNgNn~YvuiOkiw6arsNjQ "Convert any multiple-character search keyword to its stem form to find derived versions of the word.")
* [Zing displays search suggestions as users enter search terms](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/qsQ4UBV2fIiEZnoAIS4aTw "Display possible search query completions as users enter search terms.")  
**Related reference**   

* [Features of Zing text indexing and search engine](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/5tAYuwDuw~mJ502TnRGtew "Enable and configure Zing text indexing and search engine features.")
* [Installed with Zing](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/AKxk5xTJr8QS7GonvtkqKw "Several types of components are installed with Zing.")