If A=1, B=2, C=3... what is the total value of the word CAT?
Show worked explanation
C=3, A=1, T=20. Add them together: 3 + 1 + 20 = 24. Tip: Use EJOTY anchors (E=5, J=10, O=15, T=20, Y=25) for quick letter counting! ✓
11+ Letter Sums Practice
(GL Assessment)
Letter sums turn the alphabet into a set of numbers. With A worth 1, B worth 2, C worth 3 and so on up to Z worth 26, your child adds up the value of the letters in a word, or works through a short calculation written in letters. A question might ask for the total value of FACE, or which of five words scores highest, or what a small letter equation comes to. The reasoning is simple to describe but easy to fumble, because it relies on knowing exactly where each letter sits in the alphabet.
Letter sums feature in the GL Assessment 11+ Verbal Reasoning paper as part of its number-and-letter reasoning. The A equals 1 mapping is always stated explicitly, and GL prints an alphabet reference line, often with the position numbers, on the page. Our research estimate, since GL does not publish weightings, is a modest block of questions when the type appears. As across the paper, your child chooses from five options (A to E) and marks the answer on a separate sheet, so careful counting and tidy adding up win marks.
On this page your child practises with that same numbered alphabet line, working through one letter sum at a time. Every question comes with a worked explanation that lists each letter's value before adding them, so your child builds both the alphabet knowledge and the careful arithmetic the type demands.
What the GL 11+ Tests on Letter Sums
Letter sums come in several shapes. GL does not publish their frequency, so this order is our research estimate, roughly from the gentlest to the most involved:
- Word value (add the alphabet positions of the letters in a word, such as the total of CAT): the core skill everything else builds on
- Letter arithmetic (a short sum written in letters, such as A plus B plus C): straightforward once the values are known
- Comparison (work out several words and decide which scores highest or lowest): more adding up, and a test of accuracy under pressure
- Same-value pairs (calculate a set of words and find the two that match): rewards organised, methodical working
- Mixed operations with multiplication or subtraction (a line such as D times E minus C, where BODMAS applies): the order of operations becomes the trap
- Letter equations (find the missing letter that completes a sum, such as B plus something equals J): reasoning backwards to a letter
- Word difference (the gap between the values of two words): two totals, then a subtraction
Difficulty grows from short words using early-alphabet letters and a single addition, through subtraction and comparison across the full alphabet, up to mixed operations with BODMAS, multi-word comparisons and reverse mappings where A is worth 26 down to Z worth 1.
Sample Letter Sums Questions
Five questions drawn from PrepStep’s letter sums 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.
If A=3, B=5, C=7, what is the value of A + B + C?
Show worked explanation
A=3, B=5, C=7. A + B + C = 3 + 5 + 7 = 15. Tip: When the values are given (not alphabet positions), re-read them carefully before adding. ✓
If A=1, B=2, C=3... what is the total value of the word PIG?
Show worked explanation
P=16, I=9, G=7. Total: 16 + 9 + 7 = 32. Tip: Learn the alphabet in groups of 5 (A-E=1-5, F-J=6-10, K-O=11-15, P-T=16-20, U-Z=21-26). ✓
If A=1, B=2, C=3... what is the total value of the word LIGHT?
Show worked explanation
L=12, I=9, G=7, H=8, T=20. Total: 12 + 9 + 7 + 8 + 20 = 56. Tip: Double-check by adding the numbers in a different order. ✓
If A=1, B=2, C=3... what is the total value of the word AGE?
Show worked explanation
A=1, G=7, E=5. Total: 1 + 7 + 5 = 13. Tip: Double-check by adding the numbers in a different order. ✓
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Common mistake 1 of 4
Miscounting letters in the middle of the alphabet.
Tip: Letters like M, N and O are easy to misplace by one, and GL builds wrong options exactly one or two away from correct. Teach your child to anchor on EJOTY (E is 5, J is 10, O is 15, T is 20, Y is 25) and count on from the nearest anchor using the alphabet line.
Common mistake 2 of 4
Forgetting to count a repeated letter twice.
Tip: In a word like BELL the L appears twice and must be added twice. Remind your child to tick off each letter as they go, so a doubled letter is never quietly dropped from the total.
Common mistake 3 of 4
Adding when the line mixes operations.
Tip: When a question uses multiplication alongside addition or subtraction, BODMAS applies, so the multiplication is done first. For example B plus C times D is 2 plus 12, which is 14, not 20. Encourage your child to do any times step before adding or subtracting.
Common mistake 4 of 4
Underestimating the high-value letters.
Tip: Letters near the end of the alphabet are worth a lot (W is 23, X is 24, Y is 25, Z is 26), and children often guess them too low in comparison questions. The fix is to count those letters carefully and, for comparisons, estimate first by noticing which words carry late-alphabet letters.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are letter sums in the 11+?
Letter sums are a Verbal Reasoning question type where each letter is given a number, almost always A equals 1 up to Z equals 26. Your child adds the values of the letters in a word, compares words, or solves a short calculation written in letters. The answer is chosen from five options (A to E), and GL prints a numbered alphabet line on the page to help.
What does each letter equal in a letter sum?
In the standard GL letter sum, A equals 1, B equals 2, C equals 3 and so on up to Z equals 26, and this mapping is always stated in the question. Occasionally a harder question uses a different rule, such as A equals 26 counting down to Z equals 1, or each letter worth its position doubled, but the question will always tell your child the values to use.
What is the EJOTY trick for letter sums?
EJOTY names five evenly spaced signposts in the alphabet: E is 5, J is 10, O is 15, T is 20 and Y is 25. Rather than counting from A every time, your child jumps to the nearest signpost and counts on. For example, to find P, start from O (15) and add one to get 16. It makes finding letter values much faster and cuts down counting errors.
Why do children lose marks on letter sums?
The maths is simple, so most marks are lost to small slips: miscounting a letter in the middle of the alphabet, forgetting to add a repeated letter twice, or breaking BODMAS in a mixed calculation. High-value letters near Z are often guessed too low. Careful counting on the alphabet line and tidy written totals prevent nearly all of these.
How can my child improve at letter sums?
Knowing the alphabet positions quickly is the foundation, helped by the EJOTY anchors and learning the alphabet in groups of five. Writing down each letter's value before adding keeps the working tidy. Free PrepStep practice gives your child a numbered alphabet line and one letter sum at a time, with worked explanations that show every value, so accuracy and speed grow together.
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