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Verbal Reasoning · Guide 12 of 15

Make a new word

The word in brackets is built from letters of the two words beside it. Find which letters were used, then build a new word in the same way.

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

What is it?

In a make a new word question you see three words, with the middle one in brackets. The word in brackets is made from letters taken from the two outside words.

A second line follows the same pattern, but its middle word is missing. You find which letters were used the first time (and in what order), then take the letters from the same places to make the missing word.

A typical question

Find the missing word. It is made in the same way as the word in brackets on the first line.

card (cast) mist    plan ( ? ) slug

How to spot it

  • Two lines of three words, with the middle word in brackets.
  • The middle word on the second line is a question mark or a gap.
  • The bracket word usually has four letters, and the outside words have four or five.

Step-by-step method

  1. Step 1: Number the letters of the two outside words on the first line: 1, 2, 3, 4 for the first word and 1, 2, 3, 4 for the second.
  2. Step 2: Take each letter of the bracket word in turn and find where it came from: which word, which position?
  3. Step 3: Write the rule as a code, like '1st word: 1, 2 + 2nd word: 3, 4'.
  4. Step 4: If a letter appears in both outside words, note both places and test each one.
  5. Step 5: Use exactly the same positions on the second line to build the missing word.
  6. Step 6: Check your answer is a real word. If it isn't, go back and look for another way the first word was made.

Worked examples

Example 1: the start of one word and the end of the other

Question: card (cast) mist    plan ( ? ) slug
  1. Step 1: card (cast) mist: the first two letters of “card”, then the last two letters of “mist”.
  2. Step 2: Do the same: plan and slug give pl + ug.

Answer: plug

Example 2: the end of one word and the start of the other

Question: rush (shop) open    past ( ? ) area
  1. Step 1: rush (shop) open: the last two letters of “rush”, then the first two letters of “open”.
  2. Step 2: Do the same: past and area give st + ar.

Answer: star

Example 3: letters taken out of order

Question: foal (lone) mine    four ( ? ) tide
  1. Step 1: l is the 4th letter of 'foal'. o is the 2nd letter of 'foal'.
  2. Step 2: n is the 3rd letter of 'mine'. e is the 4th letter of 'mine'.
  3. Step 3: So the rule is: first word 4th, first word 2nd, second word 3rd, second word 4th.
  4. Step 4: four: 4th letter r, 2nd letter o. tide: 3rd letter d, 4th letter e. That gives r, o, d, e.

Answer: rode

Common traps

  • Guessing a word that 'looks right'

    Don't pick any word you can make from the letters. It must use the same positions as the first line.

  • Forgetting the order

    In foal (lone) mine, the l comes before the o in 'lone' even though o comes first in 'foal'. Copy the order of the bracket word.

  • A letter that appears twice

    If a bracket letter is in both outside words, the rule could use either. Try both and keep the one that makes a real word.

  • Mixing up first and second words

    Keep the sides the same: letters from the left-hand word on line one come from the left-hand word on line two.

Top tips

  • Write small numbers under each letter of the outside words: it makes the pattern easy to see.
  • The most common rules use the first two or last two letters of each word.
  • Always read your new word: if it isn't a real word, the rule is wrong somewhere.

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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