# Synonyms and Thesaurus

> Offer synonyms in Windows Forms with TX Spell .NET: thesaurus files per language, the Thesaurus Dialog of TX Text Control and CreateSynonyms in code.

- **Product:** TX Spell .NET for Windows Forms
- **Section:** Documentation
- **Kind:** Topic
- **Path:** TX Spell .NET for Windows Forms > Synonyms and Thesaurus
- **557 words**
- **Web URL:** https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-spell-dotnet-winforms/synonyms/
- **LLMs URL:** https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-spell-dotnet-winforms/synonyms/llms.txt
- **LLMs-Full URL:** https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-spell-dotnet-winforms/synonyms/llms-full.txt

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A thesaurus suggests other words for the same thing: "rapid" or "swift" for "fast", "dwelling" or "home" for "house". TX Spell .NET for Windows Forms has one built in, for US English out of the box and for more than 20 other languages and regions with downloadable lists. It works in the TX Text Control editor, where users open the Thesaurus Dialog from the ribbon, and in your own code for any word.

![The Thesaurus Dialog of TX Text Control with Find Synonyms for: powerful, Language: English (United States), and a tree of synonyms with compelling selected.](https://docs.textcontrol.com/assets/img/tx-spell-dotnet-winforms/thesaurus-dialog-open.d7429a4a.webp)

### How the Thesaurus Works

- **Synonym lists.** The synonyms come from thesaurus files in the OpenOffice format, one list per language, in the folder *SynonymLists*. The package brings the US English list.
- **The default list.** With `SynonymLanguage` at its default, "(Auto)", the spell checker uses the list in the language of its default dictionary.
- **Groups of synonyms.** For a word, `CreateSynonyms` returns one group per meaning, each with the synonyms of that meaning.
- **TX Text Control.** The **Thesaurus** button of the ribbon opens the Thesaurus Dialog, which replaces the selected word with the synonym the user picks. It needs a spell checker connected to the editor.

### Find the Right Page

| If you want to | Read |
|---|---|
| Know what a synonym list is, get lists for other languages and choose one | [Synonym Lists](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-spell-dotnet-winforms/synonyms/lists/llms-full.txt) |
| Offer synonyms in the editor, in the Thesaurus Dialog and the context menu | [Synonyms in the Context Menu](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-spell-dotnet-winforms/synonyms/context-menu/llms-full.txt) |
| Look up synonyms for a word in code | [Looking Up Synonyms in Code](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-spell-dotnet-winforms/synonyms/in-code/llms-full.txt) |

### Where to Start

1. [Synonyms in the Context Menu](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-spell-dotnet-winforms/synonyms/context-menu/llms-full.txt), to see what users get with TX Text Control.
2. [Synonym Lists](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-spell-dotnet-winforms/synonyms/lists/llms-full.txt), before you add languages other than English.
3. [Looking Up Synonyms in Code](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-spell-dotnet-winforms/synonyms/in-code/llms-full.txt), for synonyms outside the editor.

### Pages in This Section

- [Synonym Lists](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-spell-dotnet-winforms/synonyms/lists/llms-full.txt): the thesaurus files, their folder, the languages and how a list is chosen.
- [Synonyms in the Context Menu](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-spell-dotnet-winforms/synonyms/context-menu/llms-full.txt): the Thesaurus Dialog of TX Text Control and a synonyms submenu in the context menu.
- [Looking Up Synonyms in Code](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-spell-dotnet-winforms/synonyms/in-code/llms-full.txt): `CreateSynonyms`, synonym groups and a console application.

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## In This Section

- [Synonyms in the Context Menu](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-spell-dotnet-winforms/synonyms/context-menu/llms-full.txt): Offer synonyms in a Windows Forms TextControl: the Thesaurus button and Thesaurus Dialog, and a synonyms submenu added in TextContextMenuOpening.
- [Looking Up Synonyms in Code](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-spell-dotnet-winforms/synonyms/in-code/llms-full.txt): Look up synonyms in code with CreateSynonyms: its three overloads, SynonymGroup and Synonym Name and Text, and a console app with German synonyms.
- [Synonym Lists](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-spell-dotnet-winforms/synonyms/lists/llms-full.txt): Use thesaurus files with TX Spell .NET in Windows Forms: the .dat and .idx format, available languages, SynonymLanguage (Auto) and SynonymList in code.

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## Nearby

- **Previous:** [Hyphenating Text in Code](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-spell-dotnet-winforms/hyphenation/in-code/llms-full.txt)
- **Next:** [Synonym Lists](https://docs.textcontrol.com/tx-spell-dotnet-winforms/synonyms/lists/llms-full.txt)