One Word Substitution for SSC CGL
Learn the word parts and you can work out words you have never seen.
One-word substitution means replacing a whole phrase with the single word that means the same. "A person who loves books" becomes "bibliophile". SSC lists it by name in the CGL English syllabus.
Lists of these words run into the thousands, and memorising them one by one does not last. Most of them are built from a small set of word parts. Learn the parts and you can work out words you have never seen.
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Word Parts That Unlock Most Answers
A root or prefix is the piece of a word that carries a meaning. These are among the most useful.
- omni- (all)
- omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), omnipresent (present everywhere), omnivorous (eats both plants and meat)
- phil- (love)
- philanthropist (one who works for the good of others), bibliophile (lover of books)
- mis- (hate)
- misanthrope (one who dislikes people in general), misogynist (one who hates women)
- in-, il-, im- (not)
- inaudible (cannot be heard), illegible (cannot be read), infallible (cannot make mistakes), inevitable (cannot be avoided), impregnable (cannot be captured)
- -cide (killing)
- homicide (killing a person), suicide (killing oneself), regicide (killing a king), genocide (killing a whole people)
- -cracy (rule)
- democracy (rule by the people), autocracy (rule by one person with total power), bureaucracy (rule by officials)
- poly- (many)
- polyglot (one who speaks many languages), polygamy (having more than one spouse at a time)
Common One-Word Substitutions
Words that do not follow a single root, grouped by theme.
| Phrase | One word |
|---|---|
| Life story written by the person themself | Autobiography |
| Published or given after a person's death | Posthumous |
| Words written on a tombstone | Epitaph |
| Of unknown or hidden name | Anonymous |
| One who never drinks alcohol | Teetotaller |
| One who does something for pleasure, not pay | Amateur |
| Living or happening at the same time | Contemporary |
| Able to use both hands equally well | Ambidextrous |
| A remedy for all diseases or problems | Panacea |
| Unable to pay debts | Insolvent |
| A person who cannot be corrected | Incorrigible |
| A speech made without preparation | Extempore |
| Something that cannot be read | Illegible |
| A place where bees are kept | Apiary |
Practice Questions
Original practice questions. Pick the one word for the phrase, then read the reason.
- 1
Practice question 1: "One who knows everything" (a) omnipotent (b) omniscient (c) omnipresent (d) omnivorous
Answer: (b) omniscient. All four share "omni-" (all), so the root alone does not decide it. "Sci" means knowing, as in science; "potent" means power and "present" means being there.
- 2
Practice question 2: "Handwriting that cannot be read" (a) eligible (b) illicit (c) illegible (d) illogical
Answer: (c) illegible. "Eligible" means qualified, and "illicit" means unlawful. They look alike on purpose.
- 3
Practice question 3: "A person who speaks many languages" (a) linguist (b) polyglot (c) translator (d) orator
Answer: (b) polyglot. A linguist studies language, which is close but not the same; an orator is a skilled public speaker.
- 4
Practice question 4: "A government run by officials" (a) autocracy (b) bureaucracy (c) democracy (d) plutocracy
Answer: (b) bureaucracy. Plutocracy, rule by the wealthy, is the unfamiliar option meant to tempt a guess.
- 5
Practice question 5: "That which cannot be avoided" (a) invincible (b) inevitable (c) invaluable (d) indelible
Answer: (b) inevitable. All four use the "in-" (not) prefix, so you need the second half: "evit" relates to avoiding.
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How SSC Tests It, and the Trap
The question gives a phrase and four single words. The wrong options are rarely random. They usually share a prefix or root with the right answer, or they look alike in spelling, as the practice questions show.
So the trap is recognising the family but not the word. Learn each word together with its nearest look-alike, such as omniscient with omnipotent, and illegible with eligible. That one habit turns most of these questions into quick marks.
How to Learn One-Word Substitutions
- checkLearn roots and prefixes first, then the words built on them
- checkWrite each new word with its look-alike and the difference in one line
- checkRevise ten words a day instead of fifty once a week
- checkUse each new word in a sentence of your own; it sticks better than a list
- checkTest yourself phrase-to-word, the direction SSC asks it
FAQs
What is one word substitution?expand_more
Replacing a phrase or description with one word that means the same, such as "illegible" for "that cannot be read". SSC names it in the CGL English syllabus.
How many one word substitutions should I learn for SSC CGL?expand_more
There is no official list. Learning the common roots and prefixes, plus a few hundred frequent words with their look-alikes, covers far more ground than memorising thousands of unrelated words.
What is the easiest way to remember one word substitutions?expand_more
Group them by root: omni (all), phil (love), mis (hate), cide (killing), cracy (rule). Then learn each word next to the look-alike that SSC is likely to place beside it.
Next steps
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