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Verbal Reasoning · Codes and sequences
A1Z26 letter-position codes
A free preview from the Athena Learning Library — the same lesson registered students learn from.
In this lesson: Encode and decode words using letter positions, where A = 1 and Z = 26.
The idea
In an A1Z26 code, every letter is replaced by its position in the alphabet. A is 1, B is 2, C is 3, and this continues all the way to Z, which is 26. So CAT becomes 3-1-20, because C is the 3rd letter, A is the 1st and T is the 20th.
Learn some anchor positions to work faster: A is 1, E is 5, J is 10, O is 15, T is 20 and Z is 26. M, the middle letter, is 13, so N must be 14. Counting onwards from a nearby anchor is quicker and safer than counting from A every time.
To encode a word, write the number under each letter, keeping the numbers in order and separated, often with dashes. To decode, reverse the process: find the letter for each number and read the word. Always check the count: a four-letter word should give exactly four numbers.
Worked example
Using A = 1, B = 2 and so on up to Z = 26, what is the code for BED?
- B is the 2nd letter of the alphabet, so B = 2.
- E is the 5th letter, so E = 5.
- D is the 4th letter, so D = 4. Put the numbers in order.
Answer: 2-5-4
Watch out
- Starting the count at 0, which makes every number one too small.
- Mixing up M (13) and N (14), the two middle letters.
- Forgetting a number, so the code has fewer numbers than the word has letters.
Quick check
Try these on your own first — then reveal each answer.
1. Decode this A1Z26 code: 3-1-20
2. Encode SUN using A = 1 to Z = 26.
Practise this concept
Reading is the first step — the concept sticks when your child answers questions on it. Registered students practise graded questions for this lesson, with instant marking and worked explanations, and the lesson is marked complete in their progress.