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Verbal Reasoning · Word relationships
Letter analogies
A free preview from the Athena Learning Library — the same lesson registered students learn from.
In this lesson: Apply the same letter transformation to a new pair of letter groups.
The idea
In these questions, a pair of letter groups is given, and the first group changes into the second by a rule. Your job is to find the rule and make exactly the same change to a new group.
Compare the two groups letter by letter. Each letter may move forwards or backwards in the alphabet, the letters may swap places, or the whole group may be reversed. Count the moves carefully: I to F is 3 back, and the second letter must make the same move.
Apply the rule to every letter of the new group, in order, and check your answer letter by letter before you choose. If only one letter fits the rule, you have probably missed part of it.
Worked example
IF is to FC as OK is to ? (In the first pair, IF changes into FC. Make exactly the same change to OK.)
- I moves 3 places back in the alphabet to F.
- F moves 3 places back to C, so every letter moves 3 back.
- Apply the same move to OK: O moves 3 back to L, and K moves 3 back to H.
Answer: LH
Watch out
- Moving the letters the right number of places but in the wrong direction.
- Working out the rule from the first letter only and forgetting to check it on the second letter.
- Counting the starting letter as the first move, which makes every shift one too small.
Quick check
Try these on your own first — then reveal each answer.
1. AB is to CD as EF is to ? (Each letter moves the same number of places forward.)
2. KP is to LO as MN is to ? (Look at each letter's move separately.)
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.