diff --git a/settings.js b/settings.js
index 9dadf5f8..2380a460 100644
--- a/settings.js
+++ b/settings.js
@@ -3,19 +3,23 @@ const fs = require('fs');
 const path = require('path');
 const peliasConfig = require('pelias-config');
 const punctuation = require('./punctuation');
-const synonymFile = require('./synonyms/parser');
+const synonymParser = require('./synonyms/parser');
+const synonymLinter = require('./synonyms/linter');
 
 // load synonyms from disk
 const synonyms = fs.readdirSync(path.join(__dirname, 'synonyms'))
                  .sort()
                  .filter( f => f.match(/\.txt$/) )
                  .reduce(( acc, cur ) => {
-                   acc[cur.replace('.txt','')] = synonymFile(
+                   acc[cur.replace('.txt', '')] = synonymParser(
                      path.join(__dirname, 'synonyms', cur)
                    );
                    return acc;
                  }, {});
 
+// emit synonym warnings
+synonymLinter(synonyms);
+
 require('./configValidation').validate(peliasConfig.generate());
 
 function generate(){
diff --git a/synonyms/custom_name.txt b/synonyms/custom_name.txt
index 72890fd9..ad9fe7d3 100644
--- a/synonyms/custom_name.txt
+++ b/synonyms/custom_name.txt
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ greater,grtr,gtr
 greens,grns
 groves,grvs
 heights,hghts,hgts,hieghts,ht,hts,hgths
-international,intl,int'l
+international,intl
 lake,lk
 lakes,lks
 little,ltl,lttl,littl,litl
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ mount,mt,mnt
 mountain,mtn
 mountains,mtns
 municipal,mun,mpal
-national,natl,nat'l
+national,natl
 neck,nck
 orchard,orch
 paradise,pde,pdse
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ wiese,ws
 
 # Spanish
 abril,abr,abl
-agosto,ag,agto,ag.to,agt
+agosto,ag,agto,agt
 altura,alt
 alturas,alts
 arboleda,arb
@@ -132,9 +132,9 @@ corral,crral
 corralillo,crrlo
 diseminado,disem
 enero,en,eno,ene,en o
-diciembre,dic,dicbre,dic.bre,dice,dic.e,dbre,d.bre,10bre,10.bre,10 bre,xbre,x.bre,x bre
-febrero,febo,feb.o,febro,feb.ro,febr,feb
-gobierno,gob,gobno,gob.no
+diciembre,dic,dicbre,dice,dbre,10bre,10 bre,xbre,x bre
+febrero,febo,febro,febr,feb
+gobierno,gob,gobno
 grande,gr
 guerra,ga
 independencia,indep
@@ -154,8 +154,8 @@ militar,milr
 monte,mt,mte,mnte
 montes,mts,mtes,mntes,mnts
 nacional,nal,nacl
-noviembre,nbre,n.bre,nvre,n.vre,nove,nov.e,novre,nov.re,novbre,nov.bre,9bre,9.bre,9 bre
-octubre,oct,octbre,oct.bre,octe,oct.e,8bre,8.bre,8 bre
+noviembre,nbre,nvre,nove,novre,novbre,9bre,9 bre
+octubre,oct,octbre,octe,8bre,8 bre
 portillo,ptilo,ptllo
 prado,prdo
 primeros,pros
@@ -167,8 +167,8 @@ republica,rep
 revolucion,rev
 ribera,ribr
 río,rio
-septiembre,setbre,set.bre,sepe,sep.e,sepbre,sep.bre,7bre,7 re,7re,7.re,7 bre,7.bre,sep,set
+septiembre,setbre,sepe,sepbre,7bre,7 re,7re,7 bre,sep,set
 sierra,srra
 valle,vlle
 volcan,vlcn
-voluntarios,voluntos
\ No newline at end of file
+voluntarios,voluntos
diff --git a/synonyms/linter.js b/synonyms/linter.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..930cb886
--- /dev/null
+++ b/synonyms/linter.js
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+const _ = require('lodash');
+const logger = require('pelias-logger').get('schema-synonyms');
+const punctuation = require('../punctuation');
+
+/**
+ * The synonyms linter attempts to warn the user when making
+ * common mistakes with synonyms.
+ *
+ * Warnings:
+ *  - Puntuation: Synonyms should not contain characters in the punctuation blacklist
+ *  - Letter Casing: Synonyms should be lowercase
+ *  - Sanity Checks: At least one synonym should exist, duplicates should be removed
+ *  - Multi Word: Multi-word synonyms can generate unexpected token positions
+ */
+
+function linter(synonyms) {
+  _.each(synonyms, (lines, filename) => {
+    logger.debug(`[lint] ${filename}`);
+
+    lines.forEach((line, idx) => {
+      const logprefix = `[${filename} line ${idx+1}]`;
+      logger.debug(`[line] ${line}`);
+
+      // split the lines by delimeter
+      let tokens = line.split(/,|=>/g).map(t => t.trim());
+
+      // strip blacklisted punctuation from synonyms
+      // the 'punctuation.blacklist' contains a list of characters which are
+      // stripped from the tokens before indexing.
+      tokens = _.map(tokens, token => {
+        punctuation.blacklist.forEach(char => {
+          let replacement = token.split(char).join('');
+          if(replacement.length != token.length){
+            logger.warn(`${logprefix} punctunation removed: ${token} --> ${replacement}`);
+          }
+          token = replacement;
+        });
+        return token
+      });
+
+      letterCasing(line, logprefix, tokens);
+      tokensSanityCheck(line, logprefix, tokens);
+      // multiWordCheck(line, logprefix, tokens);
+    })
+  })
+}
+
+function letterCasing(line, logprefix){
+  if (line.toLowerCase() !== line) {
+    logger.warn(`${logprefix} should be lowercase:`, line);
+  }
+}
+
+function tokensSanityCheck(line, logprefix, tokens) {
+  switch (tokens.length){
+    case 0:
+      return logger.warn(`${logprefix} no tokens:`, line);
+    case 1:
+      return logger.warn(`${logprefix} only one token:`, line);
+    default:
+      let dupes = _.filter(tokens, (val, i, t) => _.includes(t, val, i + 1));
+      if (dupes.length){
+        logger.warn(`${logprefix} duplicate tokens:`, dupes);
+      }
+  }
+}
+
+function multiWordCheck(line, tokens) {
+  _.each(tokens, token => {
+    if (/\s/.test(token)){
+      logger.warn(`multi word synonyms may cause issues with phrase queries:`, token);
+    }
+  });
+}
+
+module.exports = linter
diff --git a/test/fixtures/expected.json b/test/fixtures/expected.json
index 68ebc5d0..35481abb 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/expected.json
+++ b/test/fixtures/expected.json
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@
             "greens,grns",
             "groves,grvs",
             "heights,hghts,hgts,hieghts,ht,hts,hgths",
-            "international,intl,int'l",
+            "international,intl",
             "lake,lk",
             "lakes,lks",
             "little,ltl,lttl,littl,litl",
@@ -246,7 +246,7 @@
             "mountain,mtn",
             "mountains,mtns",
             "municipal,mun,mpal",
-            "national,natl,nat'l",
+            "national,natl",
             "neck,nck",
             "orchard,orch",
             "paradise,pde,pdse",
@@ -295,7 +295,7 @@
             "vordere,vd,vord",
             "wiese,ws",
             "abril,abr,abl",
-            "agosto,ag,agto,ag.to,agt",
+            "agosto,ag,agto,agt",
             "altura,alt",
             "alturas,alts",
             "arboleda,arb",
@@ -312,9 +312,9 @@
             "corralillo,crrlo",
             "diseminado,disem",
             "enero,en,eno,ene,en o",
-            "diciembre,dic,dicbre,dic.bre,dice,dic.e,dbre,d.bre,10bre,10.bre,10 bre,xbre,x.bre,x bre",
-            "febrero,febo,feb.o,febro,feb.ro,febr,feb",
-            "gobierno,gob,gobno,gob.no",
+            "diciembre,dic,dicbre,dice,dbre,10bre,10 bre,xbre,x bre",
+            "febrero,febo,febro,febr,feb",
+            "gobierno,gob,gobno",
             "grande,gr",
             "guerra,ga",
             "independencia,indep",
@@ -334,8 +334,8 @@
             "monte,mt,mte,mnte",
             "montes,mts,mtes,mntes,mnts",
             "nacional,nal,nacl",
-            "noviembre,nbre,n.bre,nvre,n.vre,nove,nov.e,novre,nov.re,novbre,nov.bre,9bre,9.bre,9 bre",
-            "octubre,oct,octbre,oct.bre,octe,oct.e,8bre,8.bre,8 bre",
+            "noviembre,nbre,nvre,nove,novre,novbre,9bre,9 bre",
+            "octubre,oct,octbre,octe,8bre,8 bre",
             "portillo,ptilo,ptllo",
             "prado,prdo",
             "primeros,pros",
@@ -347,7 +347,7 @@
             "revolucion,rev",
             "ribera,ribr",
             "río,rio",
-            "septiembre,setbre,set.bre,sepe,sep.e,sepbre,sep.bre,7bre,7 re,7re,7.re,7 bre,7.bre,sep,set",
+            "septiembre,setbre,sepe,sepbre,7bre,7 re,7re,7 bre,sep,set",
             "sierra,srra",
             "valle,vlle",
             "volcan,vlcn",
@@ -1226,4 +1226,4 @@
     },
     "dynamic": "strict"
   }
-}
+}
\ No newline at end of file