11+ Verbal Reasoning: Number Codes for Words

Number codes are one of the verbal reasoning question types that many 11+ papers use. Each letter of a word is replaced by a digit, and the same letter always keeps the same digit. The puzzles look simple, but they reward a careful method: spotting patterns, building a letter-digit table and checking every step. There is no single national 11+ test: grammar schools and local areas choose their own tests, and the formats vary (many use papers in the GL Assessment style, others CEM-style tests), so the exact question types you meet depend on where you apply.

This material trains the three common shapes of the question. In the first, four words are shown with only three codes, in a different order, so one word has no code at all. You learn to start with the word that has a special pattern — a double letter such as REED or DOLL, or the same letter at both ends such as SEAS or TART — and to match it to the code with the same pattern of repeated digits. From there, shared first letters and shared endings unlock the rest, and you can write the code for the word that had none. In the second shape, one word and its code are given and you encode or decode another word made from the same letters, such as PETAL from PLATE or RANGE from GARDEN. In the third, two coded words are given and the answer uses letters from both, as when SPORT is built from SHORE and PLANT.

All puzzles are original and each has exactly one correct answer; the explanations show the order in which to reason, not just the result, and point out the usual slips, such as swapping two digits or decoding in the wrong order.

The quiz has twelve puzzles across the three shapes. The flashcards summarise the methods and give quick practice items. The printable written work asks you to solve eight puzzles and explain your steps in writing, including finding the mistake in another pupil's answer. In the oral exam, the examiner sets puzzles one at a time, gives short hints when you are stuck and asks you to explain your method, then ends with brief feedback on what to practise next. The material suits pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 preparing for a selective school entrance test.

• Match four words to three number codes by spotting double letters and repeated digits
• Work out the code for the word that has no code given
• Encode and decode words using one or two coded words
• Build and use a letter-digit table
• Check an answer by re-coding the words that were given

Practice material written by Zestly for 11+ verbal reasoning (Year 5–6 entrance level); all puzzles are original. Formats of 11+ tests vary by area and school.