Odd Word Out

At a glance 9 rules

1. 1Name the group firstSay in a few words what three of the words share, then pick the one left out. Never pick a word just because it is the unfamiliar one.
2. 2Test your ruleCheck the rule on all four. If it leaves a loose group, or another word can be singled out just as cleanly, keep looking.
3. 3Three alike, one oppositeSort by charge first: brave, valiant and bold all face danger, so timid, their opposite, is the odd one out.
4. 4Name the class tightlyFor things, name the exact class: a violin, a cello and a sitar are string instruments, so a flute, which is blown, is out.
5. 5Same field, different thingThe odd word often sits in the same field: elated, jubilant and ecstatic are kinds of joy; anxious is a feeling too, but not joy.
6. 6Look-alikes are plantedRead the word, not its shape: prescribe means advise, proscribe means ban. A look-alike is often planted to pull you into the wrong group.
7. 7Split by finer featuresWhen all four share a field, test one feature at a time: transient and fleeting are about how long something lasts, intermittent about how often.
8. 8Try the second senseIf the first meanings give no clean group, try each word's other sense: green and raw can both mean inexperienced, and blue can mean sad.
9. 9Same meaning, different attitudeNear-synonyms can split on approval: thrifty and frugal praise careful spending, while stingy criticises it.