About Alphabet Test
Alphabet questions ask you to locate a letter by counting from one of the ends. The whole task is careful counting, so the reliable method is to convert the words into a position number, do the arithmetic on that number and convert back. Counting letters one at a time on your fingers is where the mistakes creep in.
What you need to understand
- Every letter has a fixed position, A is 1 and Z is 26, so any question can be turned into arithmetic.
- A letter n places to the right of another has a position n greater.
- Counting from the right converts to a left-hand position with the rule 27 minus the position, since there are 26 letters.
- The letter exactly midway between two letters is at the average of their two positions.
- Learn the letters at intervals of five, since they let you reach any letter in one or two steps.
How to work through these questions
- Write the position number of the letter named in the question.
- Write down what the question asks as a sum or difference of positions.
- Work out the new position number.
- Check the number is between 1 and 26, since an answer outside that range means the question was misread.
- Convert the position back to a letter and read it off against the alphabet.
Mistakes that cost marks
- Counting from the wrong end, which is easy to do when the question names a letter and then changes direction.
- Being out by one because the first letter counts as position one rather than zero.
- Averaging the letters rather than their positions.
- Forgetting that a letter and its position number differ by one, which is where most off-by-one answers come from.
- Losing count partway through the alphabet when counting by hand.
Worked example
Which letter is 4th to the right of the 9th letter from the left in the English alphabet?
- The 9th letter from the left is I, since A is 1, B is 2 and so on to I at 9.
- Moving to the right means adding to the position, so the answer is at position 9 plus 4.
- 9 plus 4 is 13.
- The 13th letter of the alphabet is M.
Answer: M
Practice questions with answers
A few Alphabet Test questions with the full solution shown, so you can see
how the method is applied before you attempt the timed set.
Question 1
Which letter is 6th to the left of the 12th letter from the left in the English alphabet?
Answer: Option D — with explanation
The 12th letter from the left is L.
Moving 6 places to the left from there gives F.
Common mistakes
- counted one place too few: E
- moved left instead of right: R
- counted one place too far: G
Question 2
Which letter is exactly midway between the 17th letter and the 21st letter of the English alphabet?
Answer: Option B — with explanation
The two letters are Q, which is 17th, and U, which is 21st.
Counting the positions from zero they are 16 and 20, so the midpoint is 18 and the letter there is S.
Common mistakes
- gave the upper letter instead of the middle one: U
- counted one place too far: T
- counted one place too few: R
Question 3
Which letter is the 9th letter from the right in the English alphabet?
Answer: Option C — with explanation
The alphabet has 26 letters, so the 9th letter from the right is the 18th letter from the left.
That letter is R.
Common mistakes
- counted one place too far: Q
- counted one place too few: S
- counted from the left instead of the right: I
Question 4
Which letter is 4th to the right of the 20th letter from the left in the English alphabet?
Answer: Option B — with explanation
The 20th letter from the left is T.
Moving 4 places to the right from there gives X.
Common mistakes
- moved right instead of left: P
- counted one place too far: Y
- counted one place too few: W
Question 5
Which letter is exactly midway between the 5th letter and the 15th letter of the English alphabet?
Answer: Option A — with explanation
The two letters are E, which is 5th, and O, which is 15th.
Counting the positions from zero they are 4 and 14, so the midpoint is 9 and the letter there is J.
Common mistakes
- counted one place too few: I
- counted one place too far: K
- gave the upper letter instead of the middle one: O
Frequently asked questions
How do I count letters quickly?
Learn the alphabet positions at intervals of five: E is 5, J is 10, O is 15, T is 20 and Y is 25. From the nearest of those you can reach any letter in a step or two.
How do I count from the right?
Convert it. The nth letter from the right is the 27 minus n letter from the left, because there are 26 letters in total.
Why is the midway letter the average of the positions?
Because the two letters are equally far apart in the alphabet, so the one between them sits at the midpoint of their position numbers.
What if the answer comes out as position 27?
Then the question has been misread. The alphabet runs from 1 to 26, so any calculation landing outside that range means the direction or the starting letter is wrong.
Where do most mistakes happen?
In off-by-one counting. A is at position 1, not 0, and questions are often written so that forgetting this lands you on an option.
