# Shopify search synonyms and stop words

> Use synonym groups and stop words to align Shopify product search with the words customers actually use.

Source: https://intentsea.com/guides/synonyms

Synonym groups tell IntentSea Search that two or more words or phrases are equivalent. Stop words are individual words ignored during search. They help address vocabulary differences after you have confirmed the relevant products are indexed.

## Build useful synonym groups

Group terms only when shoppers use them for the same intent, such as a local product name and its common English equivalent. For Vietnamese catalogues, check both accented and unaccented queries and include common mixed-language terms where they refer to the same products.

Avoid grouping broad words that can refer to different products. Review the resulting search results after each meaningful change.

## Use stop words carefully

Stop words remove individual words from the query. Add one only when it consistently adds no useful meaning in your catalogue. Retest representative queries after editing the list.

## Import and inspect

IntentSea Search supports previewing synonym groups and stop words from CSV or JSON. Review additions, duplicates and invalid rows before confirming. Export formats vary between apps; do not assume a vendor-specific export will import unchanged.

## Find what to improve next

Use [Analytics to investigate zero-result searches](/guides/zero-results), read the [Vietnamese search guide](/guides/vietnamese-search), or see [how IntentSea Search works](/how-it-works). AI synonym suggestions are available on Growth and higher; AI is optional and off by default. See [pricing](/pricing) and the [AI guide](/guides/ai-search). Download example [synonym CSV](/examples/synonyms.csv), [synonym JSON](/examples/synonyms.json) or [stop-word CSV](/examples/stopwords.csv); customize the terms for your catalogue and preview them in the app before confirming.