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Verbal Reasoning · Guide 15 of 15

Letter analogies

'AB is to CD as PQ is to …?' Work out how the first pair of letters changes into the second, then make exactly the same change again.

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

What is it?

A letter analogy gives you two pairs of letters that are linked, then the first half of a third pair. You find the letters that complete the third pair in the same way.

Each letter usually moves a set number of places along the alphabet. Sometimes both letters move the same amount, sometimes each one moves differently, and sometimes the letters swap for their mirror letters (A and Z, B and Y).

A typical question

AB is to CD as PQ is to ?

  1. A1
  2. B2
  3. C3
  4. D4
  5. E5
  6. F6
  7. G7
  8. H8
  9. I9
  10. J10
  11. K11
  12. L12
  13. M13
  14. N14
  15. O15
  16. P16
  17. Q17
  18. R18
  19. S19
  20. T20
  21. U21
  22. V22
  23. W23
  24. X24
  25. Y25
  26. Z26

How to spot it

  • Pairs (or groups of three) of capital letters with the words 'is to' and 'as'.
  • Sometimes written with colons: AB : CD :: PQ : ?
  • It looks like a word analogy, but there are no words: only letters.

Step-by-step method

  1. Step 1: Write the alphabet across the top of your working, with the numbers 1 to 26 if it helps.
  2. Step 2: Look at the first letter of each pair: how many places does it move, and which way? Write it down (+2, −1…).
  3. Step 3: Do the same for the second letter. It might move a different amount.
  4. Step 4: If the moves look odd, check for a mirror: do the two letters' positions add up to 27 (A + Z, B + Y)?
  5. Step 5: Apply the same moves to the third pair, letter by letter, in the same order.
  6. Step 6: Remember the alphabet wraps round: after Z comes A again.

Worked examples

Example 1: both letters move the same

Question: AB is to CD as PQ is to ?
  1. Step 1: A → C is +2. B → D is +2.
  2. Step 2: Move P and Q forward two places each: P → R, Q → S.

Answer: RS

Example 2: each letter moves differently

Question: FT is to HS as KR is to ?
  1. Step 1: First letters: F → H is +2.
  2. Step 2: Second letters: T → S is −1 (one place back).
  3. Step 3: K + 2 = M. R − 1 = Q.

Answer: MQ

Example 3: mirror letters

Question: AB is to ZY as CD is to ?
  1. Step 1: A and Z are mirror letters: A is first and Z is last (1 + 26 = 27). B and Y are mirrors too (2 + 25 = 27).
  2. Step 2: C is 3, and 27 − 3 = 24, which is X. D is 4, and 27 − 4 = 23, which is W.

Answer: XW

Common traps

  • Using the second pair's letters, not the move

    The answer to 'AB is to CD as PQ is to ?' isn't CD again. Copy the move (+2, +2), not the letters.

  • Checking only the first letter

    In FT → HS the first letter goes forward but the second goes back. Work out the move for every letter.

  • Falling off the end of the alphabet

    XY is to ZA because Y + 2 wraps round: Y → Z → A.

  • Counting letters instead of jumps

    From F to H is two jumps (G, H), not three letters.

Top tips

  • Learn the landmarks EJOTY: E = 5, J = 10, O = 15, T = 20, Y = 25.
  • Learn the mirror pairs: A–Z, B–Y, C–X, D–W, E–V, F–U, G–T, H–S, I–R, J–Q, K–P, L–O, M–N.
  • Write the move above each letter, like +2 and −1, so you don't lose track.
  • Letter codes use the same counting skills, so practise the two question types together.

Practice questions

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