Communication

Synonyms for allow

Synonyms for allow: let and permit. Every one of them is a hand audited pair from the Synonym Stack word bank, shown below in the sense it fits, in a real sentence, and beside the words that only look close.

2 synonyms · Tier 1, Foothills · 2 senses · verb · 2 reason lines · a wrong tile in 1 puzzle

The 2 synonyms for allow

letverb, in the sense "consent to, give permission"
permitverb, in the sense "allow the presence of or allow (an activity) without opposing or prohibiting"

Each of these belongs to a different sense of allow, which is why the meaning beside them changes down the list.

Sense 1 of 2verbTier 1, FoothillsCommunication

consent to, give permission

I cannot allow you to see your exam.

One sentence, one sense. Without it the word could be read three other ways.

The true synonym

let

Same sentence, swapped: I cannot let you to see your exam.

Close but different

The game shows these three beside the answer. Each is a real word with a real meaning and none of them fits the slot allow is in above, which is the point the reason line makes.

provide
appropriate
forbid

Sense 2 of 2verbTier 2, TreelineCommunication

allow the presence of or allow (an activity) without opposing or prohibiting

We don't allow dogs here.

One sentence, one sense. Without it the word could be read three other ways.

The true synonym

permit

Same sentence, swapped: We don't permit dogs here.

Close but different

These three are the other tiles the game puts on screen for this sense, and the note above says why the closest of them fails. None is a synonym for allow in the sentence quoted.

provide
appropriate
favor

Where allow turns up in the game

allow is the word under test in two puzzles, spread across two difficulty tiers. It also sits on the board as one of the three wrong tiles in one other puzzle, where the answer is a different word entirely.

The puzzle where allow is the trap

buildverb, Tier 2, Treeline. The answer there is establish, in the sense "build or establish something abstract", so allow is there to be ruled out.

Play allow

The bank on this page is the bank the game plays from, so allow reaches you as a board rather than a definition: the sentence first, four tiles, and the meaning after you choose.

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Compiled by Fable, Editor, Synonym Stack

This page is built from Open English WordNet 2025, with the sense, the sentence, the tier and the near misses read by a human in the July 2026 audit. Everything on it is a stored field, not a run-time composition.

Read nextThe whole library →

Closest first: other communication words at Foothills, then the same tier across the rest of the library.

movienounpicturea form of entertainment that enacts a story by sound and a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movementFoothills newsnounwordinformation about recent and important eventsFoothillsHas a reason line notenoun, verbtonea notation representing the pitch and duration of a musical soundFoothills2 sensesHas a reason line payverbgiveconvey, as of a compliment, regards, attention, etc.Foothills2 sensesHas a reason line bombasticadjectivegrandiosehigh-sounding but inflated, pompous language with little substanceRidgelineHas a reason line bragnouncrowan instance of boastful talkTreeline breathnounhintan indirect suggestionTreelineHas a reason line talonnounclawthe sharp hooked claw of a bird of preyFoothillsHas a reason line

The wrong tile gets explained too

Synonym Stack plays from this exact bank. allow carries 2 written reason lines, and the game shows them the moment a round ends, whichever tile you tapped.

Get Synonym Stack freeFree with ads on iPhone. Synonym Stack Plus removes them: $2.99 a week, $5.99 a month or $49.99 a year, with a 7 day free trial on the monthly and annual plans.