In a code, CAT = 123. What word does 213 stand for?
Show worked explanation
From CAT = 123: C=1, A=2, T=3. So 2=A, 1=C, 3=T and 213 = A,C,T = ACT. Tip: When decoding, write the letter under each digit before reading the word. ✓
11+ Number Word Codes Practice
(GL Assessment)
Number word codes turn the GL Assessment 11+ Verbal Reasoning paper into a secret cipher. Each letter is given a number, and your child has to work out the hidden mapping from the clues provided, then use it to code a new word or decode a number back into letters. The catch that trips children up is that the numbers are assigned arbitrarily, never by alphabet position, so every question set has its own private code that must be deduced from scratch.
These questions sit among the coding and logic types in a GL Verbal Reasoning paper, with answers marked A to E on a separate answer sheet. Our research estimate, drawn from analysing GL practice papers, is that number and letter coding questions together make up somewhere around 8 to 12 per cent of a paper, though GL rotates its types and the exact share varies between sittings. When the type appears it usually comes as a short block, so getting the method right pays off several times in a row.
On this page your child practises the genuine article: a worked code such as "SPOT is 1234", a target to convert, and five tightly built options where the wrong answers are deliberately near misses. Every question is explained step by step, including how to build a letter-equals-number table and check the answer by substituting it back.
What the GL 11+ Tests on Number Word Codes
GL presents number word codes in a few recognisable shapes. GL does not publish exact frequencies, so the order below is our research estimate from practice papers, easier formats first:
- Direct coding (an explicit pair is given, such as "CAR is 312", and your child codes a rearranged word like ARC)
- Letter-to-number lookup ("which number represents the letter U?" from a coded word)
- Reverse and rearrange (code a word that uses the same letters in a different order)
- Cross-referencing two codes (two coded words share letters, such as LAMP and PALM, and the overlap confirms each mapping)
- Double-letter entry points (a repeated letter shows up as a repeated digit, the fastest way in)
- Building a new word from combined letters (gather mappings from several words to code a fresh one)
- Find the word (given a number code, decide which word it spells)
Difficulty rises from a single explicit pair on a three-letter word, through scrambled codes that need cross-referencing, up to longer words with no repeated letters where the wrong answers are simply the right digits in the wrong order.
Number Word Codes vs Letter Codes, Word Code Analogies and Verbal Analogies: How to Tell Them Apart
All three code types hide words behind a rule, but the rule is different each time. Letter codes shift letters along the alphabet, number word codes swap each letter for a fixed number, and word code analogies rearrange the letters of a word. None of them care what the words mean.
| Question type | What it tests | What it looks like | The classic mix-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number Word CodesThis page | Whether your child can match words to number codes by finding which letters they share. | Several words and their number codes, jumbled; each letter always maps to the same number, and your child cross-checks to crack it. For example, "TIP = 481". | Treating it like letter codes and using alphabet positions, when these numbers are made up and must be worked out. |
| Letter Codes | Whether your child can work out an alphabet shift and use it to code or decode a word. | One word and its code are given; each letter has moved the same number of steps along the alphabet. For example, "FROG" becomes "HTQI" by moving two forward. | Treating it like number word codes and inventing letter numbers, when here every letter simply slides the same fixed distance. |
| Word Code Analogies | Whether your child can see how one word became another and apply that change to a new word. | In the shape "A becomes B, so C becomes ?", where the letters are rearranged into another real word. For example, "TAP becomes PAT, so NET becomes TEN". | Reading it as a meaning puzzle like verbal analogies, when the words connect by rearranged letters, not by meaning. |
| Verbal Analogies | Whether your child can copy a meaning relationship from one word pair onto a second pair. | The same "A is to B as C is to ?" shape, but solved by meaning, not letters. For example, "kitten is to cat as lamb is to sheep". | Trying to rearrange the letters, as in word code analogies, when the answer depends only on what the words mean. |
If the code moves letters a set number of steps through the alphabet, it is letter codes; if each letter has its own made-up number, it is number word codes; and if a whole word turns into another real word, it is word code analogies.
Sample Number Word Codes Questions
Five questions drawn from PrepStep’s number word codes bank, spanning Foundation to Challenging. Tap “Show worked explanation” to see the full method after you’ve had a go. The correct answer is highlighted on each question so you can check immediately.
In a code, STAR = 1234. What word does 4321 stand for?
Show worked explanation
From STAR = 1234: S=1, T=2, A=3, R=4. So 4=R, 3=A, 2=T, 1=S and 4321 = R,A,T,S = RATS. Tip: Many anagrams of STAR are real words, so check the digit order carefully. ✓
In a code, SLOW = 5712. What word does 1275 stand for?
Show worked explanation
From SLOW = 5712: S=5, L=7, O=1, W=2. So 1=O, 2=W, 7=L, 5=S and 1275 = O,W,L,S = OWLS. Tip: Look at the digits and find which letter each one represents before reading the word. ✓
In a code, SHARE = 72843 and SHEAR = 72384. What word does 23847 stand for?
Show worked explanation
From SHARE = 72843: S=7, H=2, A=8, R=4, E=3. Verify SHEAR = S(7) H(2) E(3) A(8) R(4) = 72384 ✓. So 2=H, 3=E, 8=A, 4=R, 7=S and 23847 = H,E,A,R,S = HEARS. Tip: Verify the mappings work for BOTH clue words before decoding. ✓
In a code, FROST = 12345 and CLOUD = 67389. What is the code for COURT?
Show worked explanation
From FROST = 12345: F=1, R=2, O=3, S=4, T=5. From CLOUD = 67389: C=6, L=7, U=8, D=9 (O=3 matches both clues). So COURT = C(6) O(3) U(8) R(2) T(5) = 63825. Tip: Build the mapping table from BOTH clues before encoding the target word. ✓
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Common mistake 1 of 4
Assuming the code follows the order of the word.
Tip: GL often scrambles the code so it does not line up with the letters left to right. Teach your child to match each letter to its number deliberately rather than reading straight across, especially when two coded words are given to cross-check.
Common mistake 2 of 4
Being fooled by near-identical number options.
Tip: Wrong answers are frequently the correct digits in a slightly different order, such as 346 against 364. Your child should write out their answer digit by digit and compare each position, not just glance at the shape of the number.
Common mistake 3 of 4
Decoding more of the word than the question needs.
Tip: There is no prize for cracking every letter. Train your child to find only the mappings for the letters in the target word, which saves time and reduces the chance of a copying slip.
Common mistake 4 of 4
Forgetting to verify with a second clue.
Tip: When two coded words are supplied, the second one is a built-in checker. Encourage your child to confirm every mapping against both words before committing, since a value that fits one word may be contradicted by the other.
About these questions
Every PrepStep 11+ question is original, written to mirror the style and difficulty of the GL Assessment 11+ and grounded in a library of real past-paper patterns, with a worked explanation for each one. PrepStep is built by Ben Jackson, its founder and a parent who has taken one child through the 11+ with another preparing now. Last reviewed: August 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are number word codes in the GL 11+ Verbal Reasoning exam?
They are questions where each letter of a word is given a number, and your child works out the hidden code from the clues, then uses it to write the code for a new word or to decode a number back into a word. The numbers are arbitrary, not based on alphabet position, so the mapping has to be deduced fresh for every question set.
How are number word codes tested in the GL 11+ exam?
Through multiple choice with five options (A to E) on a separate answer sheet. The questions ask in two directions: "what is the code for this word?" and "what letter does this number stand for?" They usually appear as a short block of the same type within the Verbal Reasoning paper.
How is this different from letter shift codes?
Letter shift codes move each letter a fixed number of places along the alphabet, so they are calculated. Number word codes use an arbitrary substitution that has to be deduced by cross-referencing the given words. They look similar on the page but use entirely different thinking, so it helps to know which one you are facing before you start.
What is the quickest way to crack a number word code?
Look first for a repeated letter that shows up as a repeated digit, because that pins a mapping instantly. After that, find letters shared between the given words and match them to the shared digits in the codes, building a small letter-equals-number table as you go. Then decode only the letters your target word actually needs.
How can my child improve at number word codes for the 11+?
Regular short practice that drills the build-a-table-and-check-it routine is what turns these from slow puzzles into reliable marks. Free PrepStep practice offers one coded set at a time in the real five-option format, with explanations that show the cross-referencing step by step, so the deduction habit sticks.
What are number and word code questions in the 11+?
These verbal reasoning questions ask your child to crack a code: letters swapped for numbers, or words shifted along the alphabet, then apply the rule to a new word. They reward logical, methodical thinking. Try real-style code questions here free, with explanations that walk through each step.
What is the difference between letter codes, number word codes and word code analogies in the 11+?
All three hide a word behind a rule, but the rule differs. Letter codes shift each letter the same number of steps along the alphabet, so your child works out the shift and reverses it. Number word codes give each letter its own made-up number, worked out by seeing which letters different words share. Word code analogies rearrange the actual letters of a word into another real word. None of them depend on what the words mean.
More 11+ Verbal Reasoning Practice
Explore the other GL Assessment verbal reasoning topics, each with free sample questions and worked explanations.
All verbal reasoning topics
Synonyms
Antonyms
Verbal Analogies
Odd Two Out
Compound Words
Hidden Words
Move a Letter
Missing Letters
Letter Codes
Letter Pair Series
Number Series
Letter Sums
Word Code Analogies
Logic and Language
Shared Letter
Balance Equations
Free 11+ practice papers & tests
All GL question types explained
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