Analogy — Crack the Hidden Relationship
Learn how word, letter and number analogies work using a simple matchmaker rule, with a step-by-step method and worked examples for SSC-CGL reasoning.
By the PadhoDost Team · 📖 6 min read · Updated 4 August 2026
Part of SSC CGL & Banking prep🧠 The matchmaker's logic
Think of an analogy like a matchmaker studying one happy couple to find the perfect match for someone else. You first figure out exactly HOW the first pair is connected, then hunt for a second pair joined in the very same way. 'Doctor is to Hospital' as 'Teacher is to ___?' Once you name the bond, the answer almost picks itself.
What an analogy really is
An analogy gives you a pair of items linked by a hidden relationship and asks you to complete a second pair using the SAME relationship. It is written as A : B :: C : D, read as 'A is to B as C is to D'. Your only job is to discover the rule joining A and B, then apply that identical rule to C to get D.
Common relationship types
| Relationship | Example pair |
|---|---|
| Synonym (same meaning) | Happy : Glad |
| Antonym (opposite) | Hot : Cold |
| Worker : Tool | Carpenter : Saw |
| Thing : Function | Pen : Write |
| Cause : Effect | Rain : Flood |
| Part : Whole | Petal : Flower |
Letter & number analogies
How to crack any analogy
- 1Name the exact relationship in the first pair — be specific, not just 'they are related'.
- 2Frame it as a short sentence, e.g. 'A carpenter uses a saw'.
- 3Apply that same sentence to the third term to predict the fourth.
- 4For letters check the position gap (+1, −1, reverse); for numbers test square, cube, ×, or +.
📝 Letter analogy: CAT : DBU :: DOG : ?
Compare CAT to DBU letter by letter: C+1=D, A+1=B, T+1=U.
So the rule is 'add 1 to each letter'.
Apply it to DOG: D+1=E, O+1=P, G+1=H.
Answer = EPH.
📝 Number analogy: 7 : 49 :: 9 : ?
Spot the link: 7 × 7 = 49, so the second number is the square of the first.
Apply the same rule to 9: 9 × 9 = 81.
Answer = 81.
Quick revision
- ✓Analogy = the same relationship applied to a new pair.
- ✓Define the bond in a full sentence before choosing.
- ✓Keep the direction: A→B must match C→D.
- ✓Letters: think position shifts; Numbers: think square, cube, multiples.
- ✓If two options seem right, pick the more specific relationship.
⚡ Quick check
Doctor : Hospital :: Teacher : ?
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