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Verbal Reasoning · Guide 14 of 15

Odd two out

Five words: three belong together and two don't. Find the link that joins the three, and the two odd ones out will stand out.

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

What is it?

In an odd two out question you are given five words. Three of them are linked in some way. You find the two words that don't belong with the other three.

The link can be meaning (all fruits, all words for 'big'), what the things are (all trees, all mammals) or even the type of word (all adverbs). The two odd words are often linked to each other too, which makes them a tempting trap.

A typical question

Three words are linked. Find the two that do not go with them: apple   carrot   banana   potato   cherry

How to spot it

  • Five words in a row and the instruction 'find the two words that do not go with the others'.
  • The words are often all from one big group (food, animals, shapes) with a smaller group hidden inside.
  • You need two answers, not one.

Step-by-step method

  1. Step 1: Read all five words before you decide anything.
  2. Step 2: Look for a group of three. Ask: what are they? What do they mean? What kind of word are they?
  3. Step 3: Say the link as a sentence: 'Apple, banana and cherry are all fruits.'
  4. Step 4: Check the other two words really don't fit your sentence.
  5. Step 5: If two different groups of three seem to work, make your link more exact until only one does.
  6. Step 6: Write down both odd words: one alone scores nothing.

Worked examples

Example 1: a group by what things are

Question: Find the two words that don't go with the other three: apple, carrot, banana, potato, cherry
  1. Step 1: They're all foods, so that link is too big. Look for a smaller group.
  2. Step 2: Apple, banana and cherry are fruits. Carrot and potato are vegetables.

Answer: carrot and potato

Example 2: a group by meaning

Question: Find the two words that don't go with the other three: huge, enormous, tiny, vast, minute
  1. Step 1: Huge, enormous and vast all mean 'very big'.
  2. Step 2: Tiny and minute (said 'my-newt') both mean 'very small'.

Answer: tiny and minute

Example 3: a group by word class

Question: Find the two words that don't go with the other three: quickly, slowly, quietly, lovely, friendly
  1. Step 1: All five end in -ly, so the spelling isn't the link.
  2. Step 2: Quickly, slowly and quietly describe how something is done: 'she ran quickly'. They are adverbs.
  3. Step 3: Lovely and friendly describe a person or thing: 'a friendly dog'. They are adjectives.

Answer: lovely and friendly

Common traps

  • A link that's too big

    'They're all animals' fits cod, salmon, whale, dolphin and trout. Look closer: whales and dolphins are mammals, not fish.

  • Only finding one odd word

    You need two. Once you've found one, check which other word doesn't fit your link.

  • Going by spelling or sound

    Words that end the same way (lovely, quickly) aren't always the same kind of word. Think about meaning and use.

  • Forgetting a word's other meaning

    'Minute' can mean 60 seconds or 'very small'. If a word seems odd, think of its other meanings.

Top tips

  • Common groups: fruit or vegetables, trees or flowers, fish or mammals, 2D or 3D shapes, countries or cities, synonyms, and word classes.
  • Try each word in the sentence 'X is a kind of …' to find the group.
  • Reading non-fiction helps: it teaches you which group things belong to.

Practice questions

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6 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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