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Number codes

Words are written as numbers, one digit for each letter, and the codes come jumbled. You match each code to its word, then use the digits to code a new word or read one.

Rush doesn’t practise number codes yet. Deductions practises a related skill.

Start the guide Practise 8 questions

Chapter 1

What are number code questions?

You’re given four words and three number codes. Each code spells one of the words, one digit for each letter, and a letter keeps the same digit every time.

The catch: the codes are jumbled, and one word has no code at all. You work out which code belongs to which word. Then the digits let you write a new word in code, or read one.

  1. The words. Four of them. Only three have a code.

  2. The codes. Three, not in the same order as the words.

  3. The question. Often three or four on the same set. Here, the code for LAST.

Some papers use symbols such as ★ and ▲ instead of digits. They work in just the same way. Don’t mix these up with letter codes, where each letter moves along the alphabet.

SALT, LAST, TALL, SEAL. Three of these words have the codes 2755, 3875 and 3752, in a jumbled order. What is the code for LAST?

  • 3752
  • 5723
  • 5732
  • 7532
  • 5372

Chapter 2

Solve it in 4 steps.

Here’s the question, one step at a time.

The question

SALT, LAST, TALL, SEAL. Three of these words have the codes 2755, 3875 and 3752, in a jumbled order. What is the code for LAST?

  • 3752
  • 5723
  • 5732
  • 7532
  • 5372

  1. Step 1

    Find the word that stands out.

    Write the words in a row and the codes under them. Look for something only one word has, like a double letter or a length of its own. TALL is the only word with a double letter, and 2755 is the only code with a double digit. So TALL is 2755: T is 2, A is 7, L is 5.

    One double letter, one double digit.

  2. Step 2

    Match the shared letters.

    SALT and SEAL both start with S, and the other two codes both start with 3, so S is 3. To tell them apart, use a digit you know. SALT ends in T, which is 2, and 3752 ends in 2.

    S A L T 3 7 5 2 S E A L 3 8 7 5

    S is 3. T is 2, so 3752 is SALT.

  3. Step 3

    Fill the key and check it.

    Write each letter with its digit as you find it. SEAL adds one more: E is 8. Then read every code back with the key: 2755 is TALL, 3752 is SALT and 3875 is SEAL. They all work, so the key is right.

    Every code on the page reads back to its word.

  4. Step 4

    Build LAST from the key.

    LAST is the word with no code, so it isn’t on the page. Swap each letter for its digit, one at a time: L is 5, A is 7, S is 3, T is 2.

    L A S T 5 7 3 2

    Built letter by letter: 5732.

Three traps in this question

The mistakeDo this instead
Matching in the printed order. SALT is printed first and so is 2755, but SALT has no double letter.Match by repeats and shared letters, never by where things sit on the page.
Copying a code from the page. 3752 is SALT’s code. LAST has the same letters, so it looks right.LAST has no code here. Build it from the key.
Swapping two digits. 7532, 5372 and 5723 each swap two neighbouring digits of the answer.Code one letter at a time, then read your code back as letters.

So it’s 5732. L is 5, A is 7, S is 3 and T is 2. Read back, 5732 spells LAST.

Remember: Spot the repeats, then trust the key.

Chapter 3

The harder sets.

Sets get harder in a few ways. Each card is one of them: how it works, an example and the trap.

  • No double? Follow a digit

    Pick a digit that’s in two or more codes and see where it sits. The letter that sits in the same places is its match.

    8 is first, last and first. M is first in MALE and MEAL and last in PALM, so M is 8. LAMP has M third, so it’s the word with no code. Trap: A is in every word too, but always second or third. 8 never is, so it can’t be A.

  • T E N T 6 2 5 6

    A letter used twice

    A letter that comes twice in a word, anywhere, gives a digit that comes twice in its code, in the same places.

    TENT has T first and last. Of 6625, 5262 and 6256, only 6256 has the same digit first and last. Trap: 6625 has two 6s as well, but side by side. That needs a double letter, which TENT doesn’t have.

  • Words with the same letters

    When the words share every letter, the codes share every digit. Look only where the words differ.

    STOP is 4618 and SPOT is 4816. They differ in the second and last letters, where T and P swap, so once you know P is 8, the code with 8 second is SPOT. Trap: going by the first digit. Both start with 4, because both words start with S.

  • S T E A L 3 2 8 7 5

    One key answers every question

    Papers ask three or four questions on one set. Keep your key and each one takes seconds.

    With the key from Chapter 2, SEAL is 3875, a code on the page. STEAL isn’t in the list, but it’s 32875. Trap: when the word is in the list, the three page codes are usually all among the options. 3752 starts with 3 too, so check every digit.

  • 6 5 3 2 L E A P

    Turning a code into a word

    Swap each digit for its letter. The answer must be a real word.

    In the LAMP set above, the key is M 8, P 2, A 3, L 6 and E 5, so 6532 is LEAP. Trap: PALE uses the same letters and is often an option, but PALE would be 2365.

  • P E N 16 5 14

    Numbers bigger than 9

    If the numbers have spaces and some are above 9, each one is a letter’s place in the alphabet.

    PEN is 16 5 14, so TEN is 20 5 14. Trap: if PEN is 17 6 15, every place has gone up 1, so TEN is 21 6 15.

Chapter 4

Try it yourself.

Easier ones first. Try each one before you open its answer.

  1. A1
  2. B2
  3. C3
  4. D4
  5. E5
  6. F6
  7. G7
  8. H8
  9. I9
  10. J10
  11. K11
  12. L12
  13. M13
  14. N14
  15. O15
  16. P16
  17. Q17
  18. R18
  19. S19
  20. T20
  21. U21
  22. V22
  23. W23
  24. X24
  25. Y25
  26. Z26
Every letter’s place in the alphabet. E 5, J 10, O 15 and T 20 are good places to count from.

  1. Question 1Level 1

    If the code for TEAR is 5381, what is the code for RATE?

    • 5381
    • 1835
    • 1853
    • 8153
    • 1583
    Show answer

    Answer: 1853.

    How to answer it

    1. Write the key: T 5, E 3, A 8, R 1.
    2. Spell RATE with it: R 1, A 8, T 5, E 3. The code is 1853.
    Why the other answers are wrong
    • 5381That is TEAR's code, copied from the question.
    • 1835This spells R, A, E, T. RATE ends T, E.
    • 8153This spells A, R, T, E. RATE starts with R, which is 1.
    • 1583This spells R, T, A, E. A comes second in RATE.

  2. Question 2Level 1

    If the code for PLATE is 38164, what does 6134 mean?

    • TALE
    • LATE
    • TAPE
    • PALE
    • LEAP
    Show answer

    Answer: TAPE.

    How to answer it

    1. Write the key: P 3, L 8, A 1, T 6, E 4.
    2. Swap each digit for its letter: 6 is T, 1 is A, 3 is P, 4 is E. It means TAPE.
    Why the other answers are wrong
    • TALETALE would be 6184. The third digit is 3, which is P, not L.
    • LATELATE would be 8164. The code starts with 6, which is T.
    • PALEPALE would be 3184. The code starts with 6, which is T.
    • LEAPLEAP would be 8413. The code starts with 6, which is T, not L.

  3. Question 3Level 1

    In a code, each letter is written as its place in the alphabet, so CAT is 3 1 20. What is the code for DOG?

    • 4 14 7
    • 7 15 4
    • 4 15 7
    • 4 15 6
    • 3 15 7
    Show answer

    Answer: 4 15 7.

    How to answer it

    1. D is 4. O is 15: count on from the anchor O15, or from J10, which is five back. G is 7.
    2. The code is 4 15 7.
    Why the other answers are wrong
    • 4 14 714 is N, the letter before O.
    • 7 15 4The right numbers, backwards. The code keeps the letters in order, so D comes first.
    • 4 15 66 is F, the letter before G. G is 7.
    • 3 15 73 is C, the letter before D. D is 4.

  4. Question 4Level 2

    HEAT, HATE, THAT, HEAR. Three of these words have the codes 4297, 4726 and 4729, in a jumbled order. What is the code for THAT?

    • 9249
    • 4729
    • 9429
    • 9427
    • 9729
    Show answer

    Answer: 9429.

    How to answer it

    1. All three codes start with 4, so they belong to the three words that start with the same letter: HEAT, HATE and HEAR. H is 4, and THAT is the word with no code.
    2. HEAT and HEAR differ only in the last letter, and so do 4729 and 4726. So 4297 is HATE: A is 2, T is 9, E is 7.
    3. HEAT ends in T, which is 9, so HEAT is 4729 and HEAR is 4726.
    4. Build THAT from the key: T 9, H 4, A 2, T 9. The code is 9429.
    Why the other answers are wrong
    • 9249This spells T, A, H, T. THAT has H second, so 4 comes second.
    • 4729That is HEAT's code. THAT has no code on the page, so it has to be built from the key.
    • 9427It ends in 7, which is E. THAT starts and ends with T, so the first and last digits match.
    • 9729The second digit is 7, which is E. The second letter of THAT is H, which is 4.

  5. Question 5Level 2

    TEAM, MEAT, MATE, EAST. Three of these words have the codes 2916, 6294 and 4296, in a jumbled order. What does 1942 mean?

    • SEAT
    • SAME
    • MATE
    • STEM
    • MEAT
    Show answer

    Answer: SAME.

    How to answer it

    1. TEAM, MEAT and MATE use the same four letters. EAST is the only word with an S, and 2916 is the only code with a 1. So 2916 is EAST: E is 2, A is 9, S is 1, T is 6.
    2. T is 6, so 6294 is TEAM and 4296 is MEAT: M is 4. MATE is the word with no code.
    3. Decode 1942: 1 is S, 9 is A, 4 is M, 2 is E. It means SAME.
    Why the other answers are wrong
    • SEATSEAT would be 1296. The second digit is 9, which is A, not E.
    • MATEMATE would be 4962. The code starts with 1, which is S.
    • STEMSTEM would be 1624. The second digit is 9, which is A, not T.
    • MEATMEAT is 4296, one of the codes on the page. The code to decode starts with 1, which is S.

  6. Question 6Level 2

    In a code, HEN is written 9 6 15. What is the code for FOX?

    • 6 15 24
    • 7 16 25
    • 5 14 23
    • 8 17 26
    • 7 16 24
    Show answer

    Answer: 7 16 25.

    How to answer it

    1. H is 8, E is 5, N is 14. Each number in the code is one more than the letter's place.
    2. F is 6, O is 15, X is 24. Add 1 to each: 7 16 25.
    Why the other answers are wrong
    • 6 15 24These are the plain alphabet places. HEN shows each one goes up by 1.
    • 5 14 23Each place went down by 1, not up.
    • 8 17 26Each place went up by 2. H is 8 and its code is 9, only 1 more.
    • 7 16 24X was left at 24. Every letter goes up by 1, so X becomes 25.

  7. Question 7Level 3

    NOTE, TONE, NEST, SENT. Three of these words have the codes 3974, 7249 and 7934, in a jumbled order. What is the code for TONE?

    • 7249
    • 4279
    • 4297
    • 3974
    • 4729
    Show answer

    Answer: 4279.

    How to answer it

    1. 3974 and 7934 use the same digits, so they belong to two words with the same letters: NEST and SENT, or NOTE and TONE. Both codes have 9 second.
    2. If they were NOTE and TONE, 9 would be O, and 7249, which ends in 9, would be a word ending in O. None of the words does. So they are NEST and SENT, and 9 is E.
    3. NEST starts with N and SENT has N third: 7934 starts with 7 and 3974 has 7 third. So N is 7, NEST is 7934 and SENT is 3974: S is 3, T is 4.
    4. 7249 starts with 7, the N, so it is NOTE, and O is 2. TONE has no code, so build it: T 4, O 2, N 7, E 9. The code is 4279.
    Why the other answers are wrong
    • 7249That is NOTE's code. NOTE and TONE share all four letters, and the trap is to take the code on the page.
    • 4297This spells T, O, E, N. TONE ends N, E, which is 7, 9.
    • 3974That is SENT's code, straight off the page.
    • 4729This spells T, N, O, E. O comes second in TONE.

  8. Question 8Level 3

    SALE, SEAL, SLAM, MEAL. Three of these words have the codes 5294, 7429 and 5429, in a jumbled order. What does 7294 mean?

    • MEAL
    • SALE
    • MALE
    • SLAM
    • SAME
    Show answer

    Answer: MALE.

    How to answer it

    1. Three words start with S, but only two codes share a first digit, 5. So S is 5, and the other code, 7429, belongs to the one word that doesn't start with S: MEAL. M is 7, E is 4, A is 2, L is 9.
    2. Check the two codes starting with 5 against that key: 5294 is S, A, L, E, SALE, and 5429 is SEAL. SLAM is the word with no code.
    3. Decode 7294 one digit at a time: 7 is M, 2 is A, 9 is L, 4 is E. It means MALE.
    Why the other answers are wrong
    • MEALMEAL is 7429. It has the same digits as 7294, so read them one at a time: the second digit here is 2, which is A.
    • SALESALE is 5294. The code starts with 7, which is M, not S.
    • SLAMSLAM would be 5927. It starts with S, which is 5.
    • SAMESAME would be 5274. The code starts with 7, which is M, not S.
Next in verbal reasoning Letters for numbers How to answer 11+ letters for numbers questions: swap each letter for its number, keep the order of operations, then turn the answer back into a letter. Read the guide

For parents.

What parents ask us about number codes.

Questions parents ask

How do you do number codes in verbal reasoning?

Find a word you can match to its code at once, usually one with a double letter or a first letter it shares with another word. Write a key of letters and digits as you go. Then code or decode one letter at a time from the key, and check the answer against a code already on the page.

Why are there four words but only three codes?

It stops the last word being matched just because it's the one left over, and it gives a word to ask you to code. That code isn't among the three, so don't hunt for it: build it from the key.

Is it worth writing the key down?

Yes. A line of letters with their digits takes a few seconds and works for every question on the same set. Digits get swapped when you try to hold the key in your head.

Are number codes the same as letters for numbers?

No. In letters for numbers, each letter stands for a number in a sum, and you work out the sum and give the answer as a letter. Number codes spell words in digits.

Practise a related skill in Rush.

  • DeductionsPlacing codes means working from facts to the only answer that fits them all, the reasoning Deductions practises with people in order.

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