Google Bolding On Synonyms For Web Searches

Aug 8, 2011 - 8:35 am 11 by
Filed Under Google

A WebmasterWorld thread reports Google bolding or highlighting words in the search results that are not actual words you searched for. Rather, Google will bold synonyms of the keywords you searched for.

Searching for [leather couches] will return Google bolding words like "sofa" as well. Here is a picture:

Google Bold Synonyms

Honestly, I really didn't think this was new Google behavior but the folks in the WebmasterWorld forum saying it is and sharing other search terms which trigger this.

In fact, searching for [couches] won't result in Google bolding "sofa" but searching for [leather couches] does. Why?

Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Search Video Recaps

 
- YouTube
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Search Forum Recap

Daily Search Forum Recap: December 26, 2025

Dec 26, 2025 - 10:00 am
Search Video Recaps

Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Core Update Status, News Publishers Traffic Distribution, Ads In AI Overviews Expand, ChatGPT Ads & Christmas

Dec 26, 2025 - 8:01 am
Other Search Engines

ChatGPT Ads May Prioritize Sponsored Content In AI Responses

Dec 26, 2025 - 7:51 am
Google Ads

Google: #1 Google Ads Launches Of 2025

Dec 26, 2025 - 7:41 am
Google

Google Continues Centering Search Results Test

Dec 26, 2025 - 7:31 am
Google Search Engine Optimization

Google: Pick A Reasonable Site Name To Rank For In Search

Dec 26, 2025 - 7:21 am
 
Previous Story: Some ISPs Are Hijacking Searches For Profit