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Verbal Reasoning · Guide 2 of 8

Hidden words

A four-letter word is hiding in each sentence, across the end of one word and the start of the next. Learn to slide along the sentence and catch it.

  • Ages 9 to 11
  • 11+ Verbal Reasoning
  • Worked examples

What is it?

In a hidden word question, a sentence hides a four-letter word. The word is made from the last letter or letters of one word and the first letter or letters of the next word, with the letters kept in order.

You must not change the order of any letters, and the hidden word always crosses a gap between two words: a word sitting inside a single word doesn't count.

A typical question

Find the four-letter word hidden across two words: We sent Ellie a card.

How to spot it

  • The instructions say a word is hidden 'at the end of one word and the beginning of the next'.
  • You are told how long the hidden word is (usually four letters).
  • The answer is often written as the pair of words, or just the hidden word.

Step-by-step method

  1. Step 1: Look at each gap between two words, one gap at a time, from left to right.
  2. Step 2: Try the last letter of the first word with the first three letters of the next word.
  3. Step 3: Then try the last two letters with the next two, then the last three with the next one.
  4. Step 4: Say each group of four letters quietly in your head: is it a real word?
  5. Step 5: Short words like 'a', 'I', 'on' and 'is' can sit in the middle of a hidden word, so join across them too.
  6. Step 6: Check your word crosses a gap and keeps the letters in order.

Worked examples

Example 1: one letter plus three

Question: We sent Ellie a card.
  1. Step 1: We|sent: 'esen' and 'wese' are not words.
  2. Step 2: sent|Ellie: try the last letter of “sent” with the first three of “Ellie”: sent ellie gives TELL.

Answer: TELL (sent Ellie)

Example 2: one letter plus three, near the start

Question: The dog ate Nan's biscuit.
  1. Step 1: The|dog: 'edog', 'hedo' are not words.
  2. Step 2: dog|ate: dog ate gives GATE.

Answer: GATE (dog ate)

Example 3: three letters plus one

Question: I hope Nell enjoys her lunch.
  1. Step 1: I|hope: 'ihop' is not a word.
  2. Step 2: hope|Nell: try the last three letters of “hope” with the first letter of “Nell”: hope Nell gives OPEN.

Answer: OPEN (hope Nell)

Common traps

  • Picking a word inside one word

    In 'The pirates hid emeralds', RATE sits inside 'pirates', so it doesn't count. The answer must cross a gap: HIDE (hid emeralds).

  • Stopping at the first gap

    Check every gap in the sentence. The hidden word is often near the end.

  • Jumbling the letters

    Letters must stay in the same order. You can't take 'saw' and make 'was'.

  • The wrong length

    If the question asks for a four-letter word, a three- or five-letter word scores nothing, even if it's real.

Top tips

  • Run your pencil along the sentence under each gap so you don't skip one.
  • Read the sentence without spaces in your head: 'wesentellieacard'.
  • Common hidden words include: tell, gate, open, mate, hide, slow, cart, team, rope.

Practice questions

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4 practice questions on this topic, from easy to 11+ level. Reading the guide is free for everyone; practice is for members, and signing up is free.

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