analyze
/ˈæn.ə.laɪz/To study something carefully by breaking it into its parts. You look at each part separately to understand how the whole thing works or what it means.
- Scientists analyze the data to find patterns.
- The teacher asked us to analyze the poem's structure.
- We need to analyze why sales dropped last month.
Adinary Nuance
Analyze sits in a cluster of verbs that all involve looking at something carefully, but each one has a different focus. Examine is broader — you can examine something with a quick look, while analyze always implies going deeper by separating something into parts. Study suggests reading or observing over time, but it doesn't carry the idea of breaking a thing down systematically. Evaluate shifts the goal toward making a judgment about quality or value, whereas analyze focuses on understanding structure and meaning first. In IELTS and academic writing, "analyze" is the stronger, more precise choice when you want to show that you dissected an argument, dataset, or text — not just that you read it.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- Phân tích
- Spanish
- Analizar
- Chinese
- 分析
- Japanese
- 分析する
- Korean
- 분석하다
Etymology
From Greek "analyein," meaning to unloose or dissolve, via French "analyser." It entered English in the late 17th century; the American spelling "analyze" split from British "analyse" in the 19th century.
Common phrases
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Should I write 'analyze' or 'analyse'?
- 'Analyze' is the standard American English spelling, while 'analyse' is standard in British English, Indian formal writing, and most international exam boards. Both are correct — just be consistent within one document.
- What is the difference between 'analyze' and 'evaluate'?
- When you analyze something, you break it into parts to understand how it works or what it means. When you evaluate, you go a step further and make a judgment — deciding if something is good, effective, or valid. Analysis usually comes before evaluation.
- Is 'analyze' a good word to use in IELTS writing?
- Yes — it is a strong academic verb that IELTS examiners look for as evidence of a wide vocabulary (Lexical Resource band descriptor). Use it in Task 1 when describing how the data was examined, and in Task 2 when discussing causes or arguments.
- What is the noun form of 'analyze'?
- The noun form is 'analysis' (plural: 'analyses'). For example: 'Her analysis of the graph was very detailed.' The person who analyzes is called an 'analyst.'