Alphabet Test, Word Formation and Letter Arrangement Notes

The alphabet test and word formation questions are a regular part of the reasoning section in SSC, banking, railways, defence and state-level examinations. These questions check how well you know the positions of the English letters, the order of the alphabet and your ability to rearrange letters to form words or to find their order in a dictionary. They are easy and scoring if you learn a few facts and tricks. This note explains the alphabet position table, the common question types, the formula for the number of arrangements, the method to find the rank of a word in a dictionary, and solved examples, in simple language.

The English Alphabet at a Glance

There are 26 letters in the English alphabet, 5 vowels (A, E, I, O, U) and 21 consonants. Write the positions from A to Z (A = 1, B = 2, up to Z = 26) and also from Z to A (Z = 1, up to A = 26).

Three Facts to Remember

• Opposite letters: The sum of the left position and the right position of any letter is 27. So the Nth letter from the left is the (27 - N)th from the right. The 4th letter from the right is the 23rd from the left, which is W.
• EJOTY: The letters at positions 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 are E, J, O, T and Y. Remember this word to find positions quickly.
• The middle: The 13th letter is M and the 14th is N, so M and N are in the middle. The first half is A to M and the second half is N to Z.

Types of Alphabet Test Questions

1. Finding the Position of a Letter

These questions ask for the letter at a certain place from the left or right end. Example: Which letter is 7th to the right of the 11th letter from the left? The 11th letter is K. The 7th to the right of K is 11 + 7 = 18, which is R.

2. Number of Letters Between Two Letters

The number of letters between two letters is the difference of their positions minus 1. Example: How many letters are there between D and M? Positions are 4 and 13, the difference is 9, and the letters between them are 9 - 1 = 8.

3. Letters Which Have the Same Position in the Word and in the Alphabet

In the word "COMPUTER", how many pairs of letters have as many letters between them in the word as in the alphabet? Check the letters in pairs. The pairs that satisfy the condition are U-T (adjacent in both), T-R (two places apart in both), U-R (three places apart in both) and M-R (five places apart in both). So the answer is 4 pairs. This type needs patience, so write the position numbers of the letters of the word and compare the differences.

4. Sum or Order of Letters in a Word

Convert each letter to its number and add. Example: the value of the word "CAB" is 3 + 1 + 2 = 6. In the "dictionary order" questions, arrange the words as they appear in a dictionary: compare the first letters, and if they are the same, compare the second letters and so on. For example, the dictionary order of the words BAT, BAG, BEG and BAR is BAG, BAR, BAT and BEG.

5. Meaningful Words From Given Letters

In these questions, you are given a word and you have to form new words using its letters, or find how many letters remain in the same position when the word is rearranged. Example: In the word "ROMANTIC", if the letters are arranged in alphabetical order, how many letters stay in the same position? The alphabetical order is A, C, I, M, N, O, R, T. Compare with R, O, M, A, N, T, I, C: position 1 R/A, 2 O/C, 3 M/I, 4 A/M, 5 N/N (same), 6 T/O, 7 I/R, 8 C/T. Only the letter N stays in the same place, so the answer is 1.

Counting the Arrangements of Letters

Here n! means n x (n - 1) x ... x 1, so 5! = 120. For "BANANA", there are 6 letters, with A three times and N two times, so the number of arrangements is 6! / (3! x 2!) = 720 / 12 = 60.

Rank of a Word in the Dictionary

To find the rank of a word, arrange all the letters in alphabetical order and count how many words come before the given word. Take the word "CAT". The letters are A, C, T. The possible words in the dictionary order are ACT, ATC, CAT, CTA, TAC and TCA. So CAT has the rank 3. For a longer word, count the words which begin with the smaller letters first. For example, for "BAT": the words starting with A are 2 (ABT and ATB), then BAT comes next, so its rank is 3.

Solved Examples

1. Find the 9th letter to the left of the 5th letter from the right end. The 5th from the right is V (position 22). The 9th to the left is 22 - 9 = 13, which is M.
2. How many letters of the word "PLANET" stay in the same place if they are arranged alphabetically? Alphabetical order: A, E, L, N, P, T. Compare with P, L, A, N, E, T: position 4 (N/N) and position 6 (T/T) are the same. So the answer is 2.
3. How many letters are there between the 5th letter from the left and the 5th letter from the right? The 5th from the left is E (position 5), and the 5th from the right is V (position 22). The letters between them are 22 - 5 - 1 = 16.

Practice Questions With Answers

• Q1. Which letter is the 8th to the left of the 20th letter from the left? Answer: L (20 - 8 = 12).
• Q2. How many letters are there between G and R? Answer: 10 (positions 7 and 18; 18 - 7 - 1 = 10).
• Q3. In how many ways can the letters of the word "ALPHA" be arranged? Answer: 60 (5! / 2!).
• Q4. What is the rank of "BAT" if all arrangements of its letters are written in dictionary order? Answer: 3.
• Q5. Which letter is exactly in the middle between E and K? Answer: H (positions 5 and 11; the middle is 8).
• Q6. Write the value of the word "BAD" if A = 1, B = 2 and so on. Answer: 7 (2 + 1 + 4).

When you practise, set a timer of 30 seconds for each question, and note the types which take more time. Most students lose time in the "same position" and "pairs of letters" questions, because they try to do the work in their head. Writing the numbers on paper reduces errors and, in fact, saves time. Keep a short list of the formulas on one page and revise it every morning before starting the mock test. In a few days, these questions will turn into the most reliable marks in the reasoning section.

Tips to Solve Faster

• Write the alphabet with numbers at the start of the paper, and cross out the numbers when you have used them.
• Remember EJOTY and the sum 27 to find positions quickly.
• In "same position" questions, write the original and the rearranged words one below the other.
• For arrangements, check first whether the letters repeat, and then apply the right formula.

Practise along with our notes on number and letter series and coding-decoding.

Quick Revision

• Left position + right position = 27; EJOTY = 5, 10, 15, 20, 25.
• Letters between two letters = difference of positions - 1.
• Arrangements: n! for distinct letters; n! / (p! q!) for repeated letters.
• Rank of a word: arrange the letters in dictionary order and count the words before it.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How many letters are there in the English alphabet?

There are 26 letters, with 5 vowels and 21 consonants.

What is the sum of the left and right position of a letter?

The sum is always 27.

What is EJOTY?

It is a memory word for the letters at positions 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25: E, J, O, T and Y.

How do I find the number of letters between two letters?

Subtract their positions and then subtract 1 from the difference.

Which letter is the 4th from the right end?

The 4th letter from the right is W, which is the 23rd from the left.

What is the formula for the arrangements of letters of a word with repeated letters?

The formula is n! divided by the factorials of the number of times each letter repeats.

In how many ways can the letters of the word LEADER be arranged?

They can be arranged in 6! / 2! = 360 ways.

How do I find the rank of a word in the dictionary?

Arrange all the letters alphabetically and count how many words come before the given word.

What is the rank of the word CAT among the arrangements of its letters?

The rank of CAT is 3.

What does n! mean?

n! means the product of all the whole numbers from 1 to n, so 5! is 120.

How are the dictionary order questions solved?

Compare the first letters, and if they are the same, compare the second letters, and so on.

How can I improve in alphabet test questions?

Learn the position table, EJOTY and the 27 rule, and practise a few questions of each type daily.