Verbal Reasoning · Letter Sequences
Alphabet Hops
BD, FH, JL, N? - tap the letter on the strip that finishes the last pair.
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Why this works
Letter sequences are arithmetic in disguise, so turn the letters into positions before you do anything else: B is 2, D is 4, F is 6, H is 8, J is 10, L is 12, N is 14. Now two separate patterns appear. Inside every pair the second letter is two steps on from the first, and from one pair to the next every letter jumps four steps. The missing letter sits inside the last pair, so the rule you need is the plus two: N is 14, so the answer is 16, which is P. Always check both patterns before you answer, because these questions are built so that the between-pairs jump is a tempting wrong answer. Counting on the alphabet rather than guessing by feel is what keeps you right under time pressure.
Helping a child through Alphabet Hops
Hints, least revealing first
- Forget what the letters spell. Count how many steps it takes to walk from the first letter of a pair to the second.
- B to D is two steps. Check F to H and J to L: is the gap inside a pair always the same?
- There are two patterns here. One is the gap inside each pair, the other is the jump from one pair to the next. You only need the first one.
When they finish it: “Distance measured!”
2 11+ skills this exercise practises
Each of these has its own page, with a worked example on it. 1 of the 2 names the mistake that skill attracts.
- Locate an alphabet positionTranslate between a letter and its ordinal alphabet position.
- Continue a letter or number sequenceInfer and apply one or two repeating symbolic rules.
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