List of 426 Sets of Synonyms - How they Differ - Total of 2307 Words - 352

SYNONYMS: shoal, reef, bar, bank.
These nouns have reference to elevation of ground under water.

A shoal is an elevation of land coming close to but not above the surface of the water. The term also is applied to the shallow area thus formed. The ship went aground on a uncharted shoal.
A reef is a ridge, usually of rock or coral, extending near or slightly above the water's surface. The reef protected the lagoon.
A bar is a ridge, usually sand, near the surface and often exposed at low water. The sand bar almost closed the river.
A bank in this comparison is a large, totally submerged plateau that rises from the floor of the sea or another large body of water but is well below the water level The Grand Banks in Nova Scotia are good fishing grounds.