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Verbal Reasoning · Guide 3 of 8

Missing letters and compound words

Two question types that are all about building words: one letter that finishes one word and starts another, and two small words that join to make a bigger one.

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

What is it?

Missing letter questions give you pairs of letter groups with a gap between them, like pai ( ? ) oad. One letter must finish the first word and start the second word. The same letter has to work for both pairs in the question.

Compound word questions give you two groups of words. You take one word from each group and join them, first group first, to make a new word, like rain + bow = rainbow.

A typical question

pai ( ? ) oad    sta ( ? ) ing

(sea, mud, hat)   (weed, bin, pie)

How to spot it

  • Missing letters: letter groups with a bracket or box between them, and one letter to find.
  • There are usually two pairs, and the same letter must fit both.
  • Compound words: two sets of words in brackets, and the words in the first set always come first.

Step-by-step method

  1. Step 1: Missing letters: start with the pair that has fewer choices (the shorter or stranger-looking word).
  2. Step 2: Go through the alphabet in your head: which letters finish the first part as a real word?
  3. Step 3: For each of those letters, check it also starts the second part as a real word.
  4. Step 4: Now test your letter on the other pair. If it doesn't work there, try the next letter.
  5. Step 5: Compound words: take each word in the first group and try it with each word in the second group, keeping the order.
  6. Step 6: Say the new word out loud: is it one real word (not two words, and not a name)?

Worked examples

Example 1: one letter for two pairs

Question: pai ( ? ) oad   sta ( ? ) ing
  1. Step 1: Which letters finish 'pai'? 'pain' (n), 'pair' (r), 'paid' (d), 'pail' (l).
  2. Step 2: Which of those also start a word ending 'oad'? r makes 'road' and l makes 'load', so keep both.
  3. Step 3: Test them on the second pair: r makes 'star' and 'ring' (both words), but l makes 'stal', which isn't a word.

Answer: r (pair, road, star, ring)

Example 2: start with the harder pair

Question: cla ( ? ) ell   ke ( ? ) es
  1. Step 1: 'ke' is the shortest: 'key' (y), 'keg' (g), 'ken' (n).
  2. Step 2: Which of those start a word ending 'es'? 'yes' works.
  3. Step 3: Check y in the first pair: 'clay' and 'yell'. Both are words.

Answer: y (clay, yell, key, yes)

Example 3: a compound word

Question: (sea, mud, hat) (weed, bin, pie)
  1. Step 1: Try 'sea' with each word: seaweed, seabin, seapie. Only 'seaweed' is a real word.
  2. Step 2: Check the others to be sure: mudweed, mudbin, mudpie (we write 'mud pie' as two words), hatweed, hatbin, hatpie. None work.

Answer: sea + weed = seaweed

Common traps

  • Only checking one pair

    A letter that works in the first pair might not work in the second. The answer must fit all four words.

  • Swapping the order

    In compound word questions the first group's word always comes first: 'fall' + 'rain' isn't 'rainfall'.

  • Two-word phrases

    'Ice cream' and 'mud pie' are written as two words, so they're not compound words here.

  • Words that sound right

    Spelling matters: 'nite' is not a word, so a letter that makes it is wrong.

Top tips

  • Common missing letters are t, d, e, s, r, n, l and k, so try those first.
  • Write the words out in full to check them, especially the second word in each pair.
  • Read lots: compound words like 'footstep', 'cupboard' and 'carpet' come up often.

Practice questions

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