Verbal Reasoning Codes and Letter Sequences

How do you write a word in a verbal reasoning code? First find the rule from the example in the question. There is no single code for a word without that rule. If every letter moves two places forward, NATIONAL becomes PCVKQPCN: N→P, A→C, T→V, I→K, O→Q, N→P, A→C, L→N. A mirror or number-substitution rule gives a different answer. Try the interactive practice below, then use the 20 worked questions near the end.

The examples below use alphabet positions and counted hops for letter shifts and sequences. Mirror codes reflect the alphabet from A/Z inwards. Number-substitution codes are different: they assign a symbol to each letter, so repeated letters and digits can help reveal the mapping. First identify which rule the given example supports.

Timing varies by area and paper. For September 2027 entry, North Yorkshire Council says Ripon Grammar School's September 2026 test included 32 verbal-reasoning questions in 20 minutes, 37.5 seconds per question if the full 20 minutes are used. Practise against your child's own test instructions rather than treating that average as a national target.

Milestone 0: what these questions actually are

A code question gives you a word and the string that represents it, then asks you to apply the same rule to a new word (encoding) or reverse it (decoding). In a letter code, letters may move along or reflect across the alphabet. In a number-substitution puzzle, each letter may be assigned a digit; the mapping must be inferred from the examples.

A letter sequence question gives you a run of letters with one missing. The rule is again positional: the gap between consecutive letters follows a pattern. A paired sequence does the same thing twice at once, with two letters per term running on two independent rules.

GL Assessment describes verbal reasoning as using written information to solve problems and lists identifying patterns among the skills involved (GL Assessment FAQs). Codes and sequences are examples for practice; the question types used depend on the test.

Milestone 1: where these questions turn up, and how many seconds you get

Formats vary by area. GL says local authorities and schools decide which subjects and question types their tests include (GL Assessment FAQs). North Yorkshire says its GL familiarisation materials show a range of skills but do not guarantee what will appear in the actual test.

Published local information can show a test's format and timing. These examples are specific to their named areas and entry cycle:

• North Yorkshire, Ripon Grammar School, September 2027 entry: the September 2026 Verbal Skills test had English (25 minutes) and Verbal Reasoning (20 minutes, 32 questions), 37.5 seconds per question if the full 20 minutes are used. For the September 2026 cycle, this replaced the previous verbal-reasoning-only paper; check the council page for the current format.
• Bexley, September 2027 entry: two booklets of approximately 50 minutes each, multiple-choice throughout, with the final result weighted 50% from the verbal ability score, 25% numerical and 25% non-verbal (Bexley Council). Verbal work carries half the total mark, and our Bexley 11 plus guide sets out the rest of that process.
• Buckinghamshire, September 2027 entry: two Secondary Transfer Test papers. The council describes one as covering verbal skills, including comprehension, technical English and verbal reasoning. Each paper takes about 45 minutes, or 60 minutes including its introduction and examples, and questions are multiple choice (Buckinghamshire Council).

The North Yorkshire timing is one local example, not a target for other tests. Where a question is multiple choice, checking one or two coded letters can help you compare the options before working through the whole word.

Milestone 2: the alphabet position method

This method helps with letter shifts, mirrors and sequences. Number-substitution puzzles use a different matching method below.

1. If your test permits working in the booklet, write an alphabet strip once. Label A=1 through Z=26, then use it throughout the section. Check the test owner's working-space and answer-sheet instructions first.
2. Use familiar anchor letters. A=1, E=5, J=10, O=15, T=20, Y=25 and Z=26 are useful reference points. Depending on the letters, you may need more than one hop from an anchor.
3. Count the hops. D to G is three places forward. Practise saying or writing the steps.
4. Apply the wrap-around rule. Past Z you continue at A: position 27 is A, 28 is B. Before A you continue at Z: position 0 is Z, -1 is Y. Arithmetically, add or subtract 26.
5. Check a letter by reversing the step. Hop back from your answer to see whether you return to the original letter.

If hops are slow, a short drill such as "what is the letter seven after P?" can help before moving to full questions. It will not solve a number-substitution code on its own.

To practise counting hops on a numbered alphabet, try the questions below. After each answer, step through the working one letter at a time, wrap-arounds included.

Milestone 3: letter-for-letter codes

In this example type, each letter of the word moves by a step.

Constant step forward. LAMP is written as NCOR: every letter is +2, so SHIP becomes UJKR.

Constant step backward. FROG is written as COLD: every letter is -3, so MINT becomes JFKQ.

Changing step. BIRD is written as CKUH: B+1=C, I+2=K, R+3=U, D+4=H, so the step increments by one each letter. Applied to CALM that gives DCOQ. Steps can also decrement (+4, +3, +2, +1).

Sign flipper. Alternate letters move forward then backward by the same amount. With +2 then -2 applied to GATE: G+2=I, A-2 wraps to Y, T+2=V, E-2=C, giving IYVC.

For these examples, write the step above each letter of the example pair, then decide whether the rule is constant, incrementing or alternating. Checking more than one letter helps distinguish rules that begin the same way.

Multiple-choice shortcut: compute the first letter, scan the options, and only compute a second letter if two options survive.

Try one now: work out the shift, then code the word.

Milestone 4: mirror codes

A mirror code reflects the alphabet: A swaps with Z, B with Y, C with X. The arithmetic is one subtraction: new position = 27 minus old position.

HAND becomes SZMW. H is 8, and 27 minus 8 is 19, which is S. A is 1, giving 26, which is Z. N is 14, giving 13, which is M. D is 4, giving 23, which is W. Mirror codes are their own inverse, so decoding uses the same subtraction: OLZM decodes to LOAN.

A mirror code can look like a shift code at first. In GRIP to TIRK, G moves forward 13 places while R moves back 9; checking 27 minus each original position confirms the mirror rule.

Try a mirror code now, with the alphabet folded in half.

Milestone 5: number codes and word-and-code matching

In this example, each letter is replaced by a digit and the words and codes are given in a jumbled order.

Work the example. The words are FLAP, LEAF, PALE and FEEL. Three codes are given in random order: 4325, 1234 and 1552. What is the code for LEAF?

1. Start with repeats, not with the first word. 1552 has the same digit twice in the middle, and only FEEL has a double letter in the middle. So FEEL is 1552, fixing F=1, E=5 and L=2.
2. Use one known letter to place a second code. 1234 begins with 1, which is F, so it must be FLAP. That confirms L=2 and adds A=3 and P=4.
3. Verify with the leftover. 4325 should be P, A, L, E, which is PALE. It checks out.
4. Build the answer. LEAF is 2, 5, 3, 1, giving 2531.

Repeated letters and repeated digits provide useful clues. In this example, using them first reduces the number of possible word-and-code pairings to check.

Milestone 6: letter sequences, gaps and paired sequences

The same position idea appears in a different format. Write the hop size in each gap, then look for a pattern in the hop sizes.

Constant step: C, F, I, L, ? The hops read +3, +3, +3, so the answer is O.

Alternating step: B, D, G, I, L, N, ? The hops read +2, +3, +2, +3, +2, so the next is +3, giving Q.

Growing step: A, B, D, G, K, ? The hops read +1, +2, +3, +4, so the next is +5, giving P.

Gap in the middle: E, H, ?, N, Q. Read the hops you can see: E to H is +3, so the rule is +3 and the answer is K.

Paired sequences are two sequences printed side by side. Split them with a vertical pencil line, then solve each independently. In AZ, CX, EV, GT, ?, the first letters run +2 to I and the second run -2 to R, giving IR.

Our guide to verbal reasoning question types places these examples alongside vocabulary and logic questions. Non-verbal reasoning uses a different set of visual patterns, described in our non-verbal reasoning question-type guide.

Try a paired letter sequence now: track each letter of the pair on its own.

Milestone 7: five points to check

1. Wrap-around at A and Z. W plus 4 is A, not "off the end". Add 26 when you go below 1 and subtract 26 when you go above 26. Check this explicitly when a wrong answer crosses either end.
2. Applying the first letter's shift to the whole word, when the example uses a changing step. Check each letter in the example.
3. Reading a mirror code as a shift code. Check whether each letter maps to position 27 minus its original position.
4. Double letters in number codes. A repeated digit must match a repeated letter. Use this as your first move, not your last resort.
5. Mis-splitting paired sequences. Treat each position in the pair as its own sequence, then check both rules.

After marking a set, label each error that matches one of these points. If a step is unclear, revisit its example before trying more questions.

Milestone 8: a short review routine

Use a short session when your child is fresh, and adjust it to their attention and the test they will take.

• Warm up with alphabet hops. Try "six after L", "four before D" and "the mirror of S" aloud.
• Try a small mixed set. Include a shift, mirror, number code and sequence, so your child must choose the method.
• Mark and discuss. Label an error using one of the five points above if it fits. Some mistakes will need a different explanation.
• Redo one question. Ask your child to show the rule and check the answer.

When you are ready, try a full section using the instructions and timing for the test your child will take. A full section has a different format from these short drills. See our guide to 11+ exam technique and timing.

Twenty mixed practice questions

Try these in one sitting. If the paper your child will take permits it, write an alphabet strip once at the top of the working space. Learn the methods first, then use your actual test's section time when practising pace.

1. If LAMP is written as NCOR, what is the code for SHIP?
2. If FROG is written as COLD, what is the code for MINT?
3. If YARD is written as CEVH, what is the code for WAVE?
4. If BIRD is written as CKUH, what is the code for CALM?
5. A code moves each letter forward five places. Decode XJSI.
6. A code moves alternate letters forward 2 then back 2, starting forward. Code GATE.
7. If HAND is written as SZMW in a mirror code, what is the code for ROSE?
8. Decode the mirror code OLZM.
9. GRIP is written as TIRK. Is this a shift code or a mirror code?
10. The words FLAP, LEAF, PALE and FEEL have codes 4325, 1234 and 1552 in random order. What is the code for LEAF?
11. If STOP is written as 1234, what is the code for TOPS?
12. If CHESS is written as 62944, what is the code for SECS?
13. C, F, I, L, ?
14. B, D, G, I, L, N, ?
15. Z, W, T, Q, ?
16. E, H, ?, N, Q
17. A, B, D, G, K, ?
18. AZ, CX, EV, GT, ?
19. DF, GJ, JN, MR, ?
20. ZB, XE, VH, TK, ?

Worked answers

1. UJKR. The rule is +2 throughout.
2. JFKQ. The rule is -3: M(13) to J(10), and so on.
3. AEZI. The rule is +4 with wrap-around: W(23)+4 is 27, minus 26 is 1, which is A.
4. DCOQ. The steps increment: C+1=D, A+2=C, L+3=O, M+4=Q.
5. SEND. Decoding reverses the rule, so subtract five: X(24) to S(19), and so on.
6. IYVC. G+2=I. A-2 wraps to 25, which is Y. T+2=V, E-2=C.
7. ILHV. Mirror means 27 minus position: R(18) gives 9=I, O(15) gives 12=L, S(19) gives 8=H, E(5) gives 22=V.
8. LOAN. Mirror codes are self-reversing.
9. A mirror code. The steps are inconsistent (+13 then -9), which rules out a shift, and every pair satisfies 27 minus position.
10. 2531. 1552 has a middle double so it is FEEL, fixing F=1, E=5, L=2. 1234 starts with F so it is FLAP, adding A=3 and P=4.
11. 2341. From STOP=1234, TOPS is 2, 3, 4, 1.
12. 4964. From CHESS=62944, C=6, H=2, E=9, S=4 (repeated 4 matching repeated S).
13. O. Hops of +3; L(12)+3 is O(15).
14. Q. Hops alternate +2, +3; the next is +3, so N(14)+3 is Q(17).
15. N. Hops of -3; Q(17)-3 is N(14).
16. K. E to H is +3, so the missing term is H(8)+3, which is K(11).
17. P. The hops grow +1, +2, +3, +4, so the next is +5: K(11)+5 is P(16).
18. IR. First letters run +2 to I; second letters run -2 to R.
19. PV. First letters run +3 to P(16); second letters run +4 to V(22).
20. RN. First letters run -2 to R(18); second letters run +3 to N(14).

Review the wrong answers and any questions that took too long. Try another short set if the rule is still unclear; move to a full timed section when your child can explain the method without help. Our verbal reasoning question-type guide has more examples, and paper tests provide longer practice.

Frequently asked questions

What is the letter code in verbal reasoning? A letter code replaces each letter of a word with another according to a rule, such as a fixed or changing number of places forward or backward, or a reflection across the alphabet. You are given one word with its code, then asked to encode or decode a second word.

What are the 11+ verbal reasoning number codes? Number codes replace each letter with a digit. In one format, four words and three codes are given in a jumbled order and the pupil finds the missing pairing. Match repeated digits to repeated letters first, then use one confirmed letter to place a second code.

What are the four types of codes? Constant step, changing step (the step increments or decrements), sign flipper (alternate letters move forward then backward) and mirror (position becomes 27 minus position). Number substitution is often listed as a fifth family.

Do letter sequences appear in every 11+ paper? No. GL confirms that authorities and schools choose the balance of question types, and North Yorkshire says familiarisation materials do not guarantee which types appear. Prepare both families, and check your area's published test information.

Where can I find official familiarisation practice? GL Assessment provides free downloadable familiarisation PDFs and explains that the exact timings and number of questions in local tests may differ from its materials (GL Assessment free materials). Check whether your test uses GL materials.

These examples show how to identify a rule, apply it and check the result. Match the question types and pace to the actual assessment.