Best way to store and retrieve synonyms in database mysql

Question

I am making a synonyms list that I will store it in database and retrieve it before doing full text search.

When users enters like: word1

I need to lookup for this word in my synonyms table. So if the word is found, I would SELECT all the synonyms of this word and use it in the fulltext search on the next query where I contruct the query like

MATCH (columnname) AGAINST ((word1a word1b word1c) IN BOOLEAN MODE)

So how do I store the synonyms in a table? I found 2 choices:

1. using key and word columns like

   val  keyword
   -------------
   1    word1a
   1    word1b
   1    word1c
   2    word2a
   2    word2b
   3    word3a
   etc.
   

So then I can find exact match of the entered word in one query and find it's ID. In the next select I get all the words with that ID and somehow concate them using a recordset loop in server side langauge. I can then construct the real search on the main table that I need to look for the words.

1. using only word columns like

   word1a|word1b|word1c
   word2a|word2b|word2c
   word3a
   

Now I so the SELECT for my word if it is inside any record, if it is, extract all the record and explode it at | and I have my words again that I can use.

This second approach lookes easier to maintain for the one who would make this database of synonyms, but I see 2 problems:

a) How do I find in mysql if a word is inside the string? I can not LIKE 'word1a' it because synonims can be very alike in a way word1a could be strowberry and strowberries could be birds and word 2a could be berry. Obviously I need exact match, so how could a LIKE statement exact match inside a string?

b) I see a speed problem, using LIKE would I guess take more mysql take than "=" using the first approach where I exact match a word. On the other hand in the first option I need 2 statements, one to get the ID of the word and second to get all the words with this ID.

How would you solve this problem, more of a dilemma which approach to take? Is there a third way I don't see that is easy for admin to add/edit synonyms and in the same time fast and optimal? Ok I know there is no best way usually ;-)

UPDATE: The solution to use two tables one for master word and second for the synonym words will not work in my case. Because I don't have a MASTER word that user types in search field. He can type any of the synonyms in the field, so I am still wondering how to set this tables as I don't have master words that I would have ID's in one table and synonims with ID of the master in second table. There is no master word.