Move a Letter
Transfer one letter between words to create two new words.
What is Move a Letter?
Move a letter questions give you two words. You must take one letter from one word and add it to the other word so that both become new, valid words. The remaining letters in each word stay in the same order.
For example, THORN and PLAN – move the T from THORN to PLAN: HORN and PLANT. Both are real words, so this works.
Step-by-Step Method
Look at each letter in the first word
For each letter, ask: if I remove this letter, is the remaining word a real word?
Check where it could go in the second word
Try inserting the removed letter at different positions in the second word. Does any position create a real word?
Try the other direction too
If moving from word 1 to word 2 does not work, try moving a letter from word 2 to word 1.
Verify both new words
Check that BOTH resulting words are real, common English words.
Worked Examples
Move one letter from THORN to PLAN to make two new words.
Working
- Try removing T from THORN: leaves HORN (real word).
- Add T to PLAN: PLANT (real word).
- Both HORN and PLANT are real words.
Move one letter from BLAND to RAN to make two new words.
Working
- Try removing B: LAND and BRAN.
- LAND is a real word. BRAN is a real word.
- Both work!
Common Mistakes
Rearranging the remaining letters instead of keeping them in order.
When you remove a letter, the other letters must stay in exactly the same order.
Forgetting to check that BOTH new words are valid – only verifying one.
Both words must be real English words. Always check both.
Top Tips
- Start by removing each letter from the longer word and checking if the remainder is a word.
- Common letters to move: S, T, R, E, and other frequently used letters.
- If a word has a double letter, try removing one of them.
- Write out your working clearly so you can track which combinations you have tried.
Ready to practise?
Put these techniques into action with our free practice papers.
Practise Verbal Reasoning Questions