Title: Clever Linked Terms Author: Jeff Brigman Published: May 18, 2026 Last modified: June 8, 2026 --- Search plugins ![](https://ps.w.org/clever-linked-terms/assets/banner-772x250.png?rev=3535863) ![](https://ps.w.org/clever-linked-terms/assets/icon-256x256.png?rev=3535863) # Clever Linked Terms By [Jeff Brigman](https://profiles.wordpress.org/jealbr75/) [Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/clever-linked-terms.1.1.1.zip) * [Details](https://wordpress.org/plugins/clever-linked-terms/#description) * [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/plugins/clever-linked-terms/#reviews) * [Installation](https://wordpress.org/plugins/clever-linked-terms/#installation) * [Development](https://wordpress.org/plugins/clever-linked-terms/#developers) [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clever-linked-terms/) ## Description Clever Linked Terms helps you turn ordinary WordPress content into a connected glossary and knowledge system. Create terms once, then let the plugin automatically link them across posts, pages, selected custom post types, and optionally FluentCommunity content. Visitors can hover linked terms for quick tooltip definitions, open full glossary pages, browse an A-Z index, and explore related concepts when Terms Engine features are enabled. Version 1.1.1 builds on the major v1.1.0 release with smoother admin performance, better duplicate handling, optional SEO fields, compatibility placement slots, stronger import/export support, and additional cleanup for larger glossaries. Version 1.1.0 expanded Clever Linked Terms from a glossary linker into a modular semantic linking platform with a redesigned admin experience, Term Studio, Term Manager, public glossary layouts, relationship controls, optional maps, and performance-minded lazy loading for large glossaries. #### What you can build with Clever Linked Terms * A public glossary or knowledge base for your WordPress site. * Automatically linked definitions inside articles, documentation, lessons, tutorials, reviews, and community posts. * A semantic term network using synonyms, aliases, abbreviations, and variations. * Better content discovery through related terms, tags, categories, sources, and glossary maps. * FluentCommunity glossary support for communities that need definitions, shared vocabulary, and learning resources inside the portal. #### Core features * Create and manage glossary terms in WordPress. * Automatically link terms inside selected WordPress content areas. * Show hover tooltips with concise definitions. * Link terms to full public glossary pages. * Control link limits so long articles do not become overloaded. * Exclude individual terms, posts, pages, or content areas from automatic linking. * Create a public A-Z glossary index page. * Customize the glossary index slug and title. * Sort index entries while optionally ignoring leading words such as “a”, “an”, and “the”. * Choose from multiple glossary index layouts. * Customize tooltip, index, and single-term styling. #### New in 1.1.0: redesigned admin workflow The v1.1.0 release introduces a cleaner management experience built around modern admin screens: * Dashboard overview for plugin status and quick access. * Term Manager with cards, search, status filters, pagination, and per-page display controls. * Term Studio for creating and editing terms without relying on the default post editor workflow. * Status support for Published, Draft, Scheduled, Pending Review, Private, and Trash. * Cleaner persistent navigation across modern Clever Linked Terms screens. * Better Community and User Manual links in admin headers. #### New in 1.1.0: Terms Engine Terms Engine is a modular add-on layer for advanced semantic workflows. It can be enabled only when needed, and its individual tools can be turned on or off from Terms Engine -> Overview. Terms Engine modules include: * Semantic Relationships * Relationship Phrase Linking * Term Health & Conflicts * Admin Term Map * Public Term Connections * Glossary Knowledge Map * Tag IQ * Bulk Tools When Terms Engine is disabled, its menus, maps, conflict tools, relationship panels, and public widgets stay hidden so the base glossary experience remains lightweight. #### Semantic relationships Clever Linked Terms 1.1.0 adds structured relationship fields so alternate phrases can point back to the canonical term: * Synonyms * Aliases * Abbreviations * Variations Relationship phrase linking can be controlled globally, per relationship type, and per term. This lets you decide whether alternate phrases should automatically link to a canonical glossary page or simply display as related metadata. #### Term Health and conflict review Term Health helps you review possible relationship conflicts and glossary quality issues. Use it to find duplicate relationship phrases, review possible conflicts, mark conflicts clear, reopen reviewed items, and keep relationship data clean as your glossary grows. #### Term maps and public connections Terms Engine can show visual relationship maps for administrators and visitors: * Admin Term Map helps you inspect term relationships and refocus the map around selected terms. * Public Term Connections can appear on single term pages. * Glossary Knowledge Map can be opened from the glossary index without taking up page space by default. Map features are lazy-loaded and cached to help larger glossaries stay responsive. #### Glossary index layouts The glossary index includes several layout options: * Modern Cards * Compact Directory * Split Index * Minimal List * Feature Grid * Glossy Panels * Knowledge Base You can also control whether terms inside glossary index card content are auto-linked. Term titles continue to link to the full term page even when index auto-linking is disabled. #### Single term page layouts Choose a public layout for individual term pages: * Theme Default * Clean Card * Hero Card * Split Panel * Resource Hub * Editorial * Minimal Modern Single term pages can show the definition, relationships, categories, tags, sources, glossary return links, and optional public term connections. #### FluentCommunity support Clever Linked Terms includes optional FluentCommunity integration for community portals using SPA-style navigation. When enabled, the plugin can process feed and space content, reprocess content after client-side navigation, open glossary links in a new tab for community users, and track analytics context separately when Analytics is enabled. #### Optional add-ons and tools Clever Linked Terms uses modular add-ons so you can enable only what your site needs: * FluentCommunity integration * Analytics * Import / Export * Term Discovery * Terms Engine #### Analytics The Analytics add-on can track glossary impressions and clicks, matched phrases, relationship type, context, and FluentCommunity metadata when available. It helps you see which terms users are seeing, hovering, and opening. #### Import / Export Import and export glossary data for migration, backup, or spreadsheet cleanup. Version 1.1.0 supports glossary fields such as title, definition, tooltip, slug, status, scheduled date, categories, tags, sources, relationships, exclusions, and relationship linking controls. #### Term Discovery Term Discovery can help populate definitions, summaries, sources, and synonyms from optional external lookup providers. Administrators remain responsible for reviewing imported content before publishing. #### Performance-minded for larger glossaries Version 1.1.0 adds pagination, lazy-loaded maps, cache-friendly public map rendering, module-level feature controls, and safer index detection. Large glossary features are designed to load only when needed instead of rendering every heavy tool upfront. #### Documentation and support Plugin page: https://wordpress.org/plugins/clever-linked-terms/ Community and documentation links are available from the plugin admin screens. ### External Services This plugin optionally connects to third-party/external services only when the Term Discovery add-on is enabled and an administrator uses the discovery or API-test tools. The plugin works without these services, but automatic definition, synonym, and encyclopedia lookup features will not be available unless the relevant service is enabled. When a lookup is performed, the searched glossary term is sent to the selected provider. When an API-key-protected service is used or tested, the configured API key is sent to that provider as required for authentication. API responses may be cached temporarily in WordPress transients to avoid repeated requests for the same term. **Wikimedia / Wikipedia REST API** * Purpose: Retrieve encyclopedia summaries from Wikipedia as an optional fallback source. * Endpoint/domain used: https://en.wikipedia. org/api/rest_v1/page/summary/ * Data sent: The glossary term being searched is included in the request URL when an administrator asks Term Discovery to fetch encyclopedia content. * Privacy Policy: https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Privacy_policy * Terms of Use: https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Policy:Terms_of_Use * API documentation: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/API:REST_API **Merriam-Webster Dictionary API** * Purpose: Retrieve dictionary definitions. * Endpoint/domain used: https://www.dictionaryapi.com/api/v3/references/collegiate/ json/ * Data sent: The searched glossary term and the configured Merriam-Webster Dictionary API key are sent when an administrator requests a definition lookup or tests the API key. * Privacy Policy: https://www.merriam-webster.com/privacy-policy* Terms of Use: https://www.dictionaryapi.com/info/terms-of-service.htm * Requires API key. **Merriam-Webster Thesaurus API** * Purpose: Retrieve synonyms, antonyms, and related terms. * Endpoint/domain used: https://www.dictionaryapi.com/api/v3/references/thesaurus/ json/ * Data sent: The searched glossary term and the configured Merriam-Webster Thesaurus API key are sent when an administrator requests a synonym lookup or tests the API key. * Privacy Policy: https://www.merriam-webster.com/privacy-policy * Terms of Use: https://www.dictionaryapi.com/info/terms-of-service.htm * Requires API key. **Encyclopaedia Britannica API** * Purpose: Retrieve encyclopedic articles and summaries. * Endpoint/domain used: https://syndication.api.eb.com/production/articles and https://syndication.api.eb.com/production/article/ * Data sent: The selected article type/category, the searched glossary term used to match returned article titles, article IDs from Britannica search results, and the configured Britannica API key are sent when an administrator requests encyclopedia content or tests the API key. * Privacy Policy: https://corporate.britannica.com/privacy.html * Terms of Use: https://corporate.britannica.com/termsofuse.html * Requires API key. **Free Dictionary API** * Purpose: Retrieve dictionary definitions and pronunciation data as an optional fallback source. * Endpoint/domain used: https://api.dictionaryapi. dev/api/v2/entries/en/ * Data sent: The searched glossary term is included in the request URL when an administrator requests a definition lookup. * Privacy Policy: https://dictionaryapi.dev/ * Terms of Use: https://dictionaryapi.dev/ * No registration required. **API Ninjas Thesaurus API** * Purpose: Retrieve synonyms and antonyms. * Endpoint/ domain used: https://api.api-ninjas.com/v1/thesaurus * Data sent: The searched glossary term and the configured API Ninjas API key are sent when an administrator requests a synonym lookup or tests the API key. * Privacy Policy: https://api-ninjas.com/ privacy * Terms of Use: https://api-ninjas.com/terms * Requires API key. **WordsAPI through RapidAPI** * Purpose: Retrieve word data such as definitions, synonyms, and pronunciation. * Endpoint/domain used: https://wordsapiv1.p.rapidapi. com/words/ * Data sent: The searched glossary term and the configured RapidAPI key are sent when an administrator requests WordsAPI data or tests the API key. * RapidAPI Privacy Policy: https://rapidapi.com/privacy * RapidAPI Terms of Use: https://rapidapi. com/terms * Requires RapidAPI key. **Plugin support and documentation site** * Purpose: The readme and admin help screens link to the plugin documentation/support community. The plugin does not automatically send site or user data to this site. * Site: https://wordpress.org/ plugins/clever-linked-terms/ and https://jeffbrigman.com/community * Privacy Policy: https://jeffbrigman.com/privacy-policy/ * Terms of Use: https://jeffbrigman.com/ terms/ ## Screenshots [⌊Clever Linked Terms Dashboard.⌉⌊Clever Linked Terms Dashboard.⌉[ Clever Linked Terms Dashboard. [⌊Term Manager with status filters and pagination.⌉⌊Term Manager with status filters and pagination.⌉[ Term Manager with status filters and pagination. [⌊Term Studio editor for glossary terms.⌉⌊Term Studio editor for glossary terms.⌉[ Term Studio editor for glossary terms. [⌊Terms Engine Overview with modular feature cards.⌉⌊Terms Engine Overview with modular feature cards.⌉[ Terms Engine Overview with modular feature cards. [⌊Glossary index layouts and public map launcher.⌉⌊Glossary index layouts and public map launcher.⌉[ Glossary index layouts and public map launcher. [⌊Single term page layouts with relationships, tags, categories, and sources.⌉⌊Single term page layouts with relationships, tags, categories, and sources.⌉[ Single term page layouts with relationships, tags, categories, and sources. [[ [[ [[ [[ ## Installation 1. Upload the plugin files to the `/wp-content/plugins/clever-linked-terms` directory, or install the plugin through the WordPress plugins screen directly. 2. Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ screen in WordPress. 3. Navigate to Linked Terms -> Settings to configure the plugin. 4. Create your first glossary term from Linked Terms -> Add New Term. 5. Optional: create a glossary index from Settings -> General -> Glossary Pages. ## FAQ ### Does Clever Linked Terms work with normal WordPress posts and pages? Yes. You can enable term linking for posts, pages, and selected public custom post types. ### Does this work with FluentCommunity? Yes. Enable the FluentCommunity add-on in Settings -> Add-Ons, then configure the FluentCommunity tab. The integration is designed for SPA-style portal navigation. ### Can I control which post types have term linking? Yes. In the WordPress Content settings you can choose which public post types should be processed. ### Can I stop a term from linking automatically? Yes. Terms can be excluded from WordPress content, FluentCommunity content, or both. Individual posts/pages can also be excluded. ### What is Terms Engine? Terms Engine is an optional modular layer for semantic relationships, conflict review, term maps, public term connections, Tag IQ, and bulk tools. It can be enabled only when you need advanced relationship features. ### Are synonyms and aliases automatically linked? Only if Relationship Phrase Linking is enabled and the relevant global, per-type, and per-term rules allow it. ### Can I create a public glossary index? Yes. Go to Settings -> General -> Glossary Pages to create or manage the index page. You can customize the slug and title. ### Can I change the glossary index title directly in WordPress? Yes. Version 1.1.0 tracks the generated index page by stored page ID, shortcode, and plugin marker data so changing the title directly should not cause duplicate index pages. ### Does Clever Linked Terms call external APIs automatically? No. External lookups only happen when Term Discovery is enabled and an administrator actively runs a lookup or API test. ## Reviews ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/91e15ee5cce05c354ea17ae779471f7b45e22b506049b6fa00b51c1f3a0d7a58? s=60&d=retro&r=g) ### 󠀁[Awesome Plugin](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/awesome-plugin-7503/)󠁿 [arjunarjun](https://profiles.wordpress.org/arjunarjun/) May 18, 2026 Love the plugin so much…especially its use cases. This glossary plugin can be used in multiple cases and is highly useful for your site. Much appreciate the plugin author’s act of creativity, intelligence and logic. [ Read all 1 review ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clever-linked-terms/reviews/) ## Contributors & Developers “Clever Linked Terms” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin. Contributors * [ Jeff Brigman ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/jealbr75/) [Translate “Clever Linked Terms” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/clever-linked-terms) ### Interested in development? [Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/clever-linked-terms/), check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/clever-linked-terms/), or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/clever-linked-terms/) by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/clever-linked-terms/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss). ## Changelog #### 1.1.1 * Added: SEO plugin detection for Yoast SEO, Rank Math, SEOPress, and All in One SEO. * Added: Optional Search / SEO fields in Term Studio, including SEO title, meta description, Open Graph title, Open Graph description, and social image URL. * Added: SEO field enable/disable setting so sites can hide SEO tools, skip SEO asset loading, and avoid metadata syncing when not needed. * Added: SEO title and meta description counters plus a live search preview in Term Studio. * Added: WordPress Media Library picker support for the SEO social image field. * Added: SEO metadata support in CSV/XML import and export workflows. * Added: Lightweight ad/content compatibility detection for Advanced Ads / Advanced Ads Pro, ACF, Meta Box, and Pods. * Added: Optional Ad / Compatibility Fields in Term Studio for before/after definition and before/after metadata placement slots. * Added: Separate definition-area and metadata-area compatibility panels with clearer placement guidance. * Added: Import/export support for compatibility placement slot content. * Added: Live duplicate title detection while creating new terms in Term Studio. * Added: Import duplicate review that detects existing term titles before import and asks for confirmation before importing duplicates. * Improved: Duplicate terms created in Term Studio are saved as drafts for review instead of being published. * Improved: Imported duplicate terms are forced to draft when duplicate imports are explicitly allowed. * Improved: Duplicate notices now use the styled Clever Linked Terms notice area instead of default WordPress header notices. * Improved: Terms Engine module toggles now default to disabled when Terms Engine is first enabled. * Improved: Term Manager defaults to 20 terms per page for better performance on larger glossaries. * Improved: Term Manager search, filters, status chips, terms-per-page changes, and pagination now update without a full page reload. * Improved: Relationship Center, Term Health, Link Rules, Term Map connected terms, and Bulk Tools use tighter 20-per-page pagination. * Improved: Heavier Terms Engine screens now support smoother AJAX-style filtering, searching, and pagination. * Improved: Relationship, conflict, and health screens use cached relationship- row collection to avoid rebuilding the same data repeatedly during a cache window. * Improved: Term Discovery settings assets load only when relevant. * Improved: CSV template, CSV export, and XML export downloads run earlier and stream through hardened download handling to avoid header conflicts with admin notice plugins. * Improved: CSV/XML exports stream terms in paged batches instead of collecting every term in memory at once. * Improved: Link Rules spacing and compact stat card layout. * Fixed: CSV import template download behavior so it uses a real nonce-protected admin download URL instead of a fragile JS-only action. * Fixed: Header/output warnings during CSV/XML downloads caused by other plugins printing admin notices early. * Fixed: Ad/compatibility output positioning so definition slots render around the definition area and metadata slots render around the metadata area across supported layouts. * Fixed: Compatibility slot spacing and grid behavior in Split Panel and Resource Hub layouts. * Fixed: Plugin Check escaping issues in duplicate import notices and duplicate term summary output. * Fixed: Readme short description length so WordPress.org does not truncate it. #### 1.1.0 * Major release: redesigned the plugin from a basic glossary linker into a modular semantic linking and relationship engine. * Added the modern Dashboard, Term Manager, Term Studio, Terms Engine, Bulk Tools, Link Rules, Relationship Center, Term Health, Term Map, Tags, Categories, and Tag IQ workflows. * Added Term Manager search, status filters, pagination, per-page display controls, and cleaner card-based term management. * Added Term Studio with WYSIWYG definitions, tooltip summaries, sources, categories, tags, statuses, scheduling, exclusions, relationship fields, and relationship linking controls. * Added Terms Engine as an optional add-on with individual feature toggles for Semantic Relationships, Relationship Phrase Linking, Term Health & Conflicts, Admin Term Map, Public Term Connections, Glossary Knowledge Map, Tag IQ, and Bulk Tools. * Added semantic relationship support for synonyms, aliases, abbreviations, and variations. * Added global, per-type, and per-term relationship phrase linking controls. * Added Term Health conflict review with clearer possible-issue language, mark- clear actions, reviewed conflict handling, and reopen support. * Added non-hierarchical semantic tags for glossary terms. * Added dedicated sources support so references can be stored separately from the definition body. * Added Term Discovery helpers for definitions, encyclopedia summaries, synonyms, antonyms, and sources, with improved formatting preservation and synonym normalization. * Added multiple public single term page layouts: Theme Default, Clean Card, Hero Card, Split Panel, Resource Hub, Editorial, and Minimal Modern. * Added linked relationship chips, linked categories/tags, sources, and customizable glossary return buttons on single term pages. * Added public term connection maps and admin-only Term Map links when the relevant Terms Engine modules are enabled. * Added multiple glossary index layouts: Modern Cards, Compact Directory, Split Index, Minimal List, Feature Grid, Glossy Panels, and Knowledge Base. * Added configurable glossary index title, slug, sticky header offset, leading- word sort behavior, and optional index auto-linking. * Added visitor-facing Glossary Knowledge Map with smooth expand/collapse, lazy loading, and cache-friendly rendering. * Added import/export support for v1.1.0 fields including statuses, scheduled dates, tags, sources, relationship fields, exclusions, and relationship linking settings. * Added placeholder cleanup for imported list values such as none, n/a, na, null, dash, and em dash. * Added Analytics reports for impressions, clicks, matched phrases, relationship type, WordPress/FluentCommunity context, and cleanup settings. * Improved FluentCommunity support with SPA-aware reprocessing, portal-specific script loading, optional comment handling, and new-tab glossary links inside the community portal. * Added aOS/AdminOS compatibility registration with Dashboard, Terms, New Term, and Settings routes. * Added performance improvements for large glossaries including lazy-loaded maps, cached public map HTML, cache invalidation after term/tag/category changes, and module-level loading controls. * Updated compatibility metadata for WordPress 7.0 and retained the PHP 8.1 requirement. #### 1.0.10 * Improved FluentCommunity analytics loading and context handling. * Improved FluentCommunity portal behavior while preserving normal WordPress content linking behavior. * Hardened the stable 1.0.x baseline before the larger 1.1.0 semantic linking release. #### 1.0.4 * Initial public release on WordPress.org. ## Meta * Version **1.1.1** * Last updated **4 days ago** * Active installations **Fewer than 10** * WordPress version ** 6.0 or higher ** * Tested up to **7.0** * PHP version ** 8.1 or higher ** * Tags * [fluentcommunity](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/fluentcommunity/)[glossary](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/glossary/) [terms](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/terms/)[tooltip](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/tooltip/) * [Advanced View](https://wordpress.org/plugins/clever-linked-terms/advanced/) ## Ratings 5 out of 5 stars. * [ 1 5-star review ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clever-linked-terms/reviews/?filter=5) * [ 0 4-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clever-linked-terms/reviews/?filter=4) * [ 0 3-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clever-linked-terms/reviews/?filter=3) * [ 0 2-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clever-linked-terms/reviews/?filter=2) * [ 0 1-star reviews ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clever-linked-terms/reviews/?filter=1) [Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clever-linked-terms/reviews/#new-post) [See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clever-linked-terms/reviews/) ## Contributors * [ Jeff Brigman ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/jealbr75/) ## Support Issues resolved in last two months: 1 out of 1 [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/clever-linked-terms/)