Move a Letter hands your child two words and asks them to lend a single letter from one to the other so that both become new, real words. Take SPINE and OAR: move the S across and SPINE becomes PINE while OAR becomes SOAR. The letters that stay behind keep their original order in both words, and the borrowed letter can drop in anywhere in the receiving word, not just at the start.
This is one of the letter-manipulation types in the GL Assessment 11+ Verbal Reasoning paper. GL does not publish a per-type count, but our research estimate is a block of roughly five to ten questions when it appears. On PrepStep the answer options are the five candidate letters (A to E), and the catch is that only one of them leaves two genuine words behind, which is what makes the type a real test of checking rather than guessing.
Every question shows the two starting words and explains which letter moves, what each word becomes, and why the others fail. That builds the double-check habit GL rewards: a child has not finished until both new words are confirmed real.
Move a Letter items vary by which letter moves, where it lands, and how familiar the resulting words are. GL does not publish a breakdown, so the spread below is our research estimate, and the bank itself leans heavily toward the medium band:
Difficulty is driven by how hidden the moving letter is and how familiar the results are: easy items move an edge consonant to make two everyday words, while the hardest hide the move in the middle, run right-to-left, or hinge on a less common word that a child must be sure is real.
Five questions drawn from PrepStep’s move a letter 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.
Move one letter from one word to the other to make two new words: BLOOM OAT
Move the 'B' from BLOOM to make LOOM, and insert it into OAT to make BOAT. 'B' from BLOOM to OAT: BLOOM becomes LOOM, and OAT becomes BOAT. Both are real words. Tip: If the obvious letter doesn't work, try letters from the MIDDLE of the word. ✓
Move one letter from one word to the other to make two new words: OAR SCOLD
Move 'S' from SCOLD to make COLD, and insert it into OAR to make SOAR. The letter moves right to left here! Tip: Always try both directions. ✓
Move one letter from one word to the other to make two new words: IRE TRAIL
Move 'T' from TRAIL to make RAIL, and insert it into IRE to make TIRE. The letter moves right to left here! Tip: Always try both directions. ✓
Move one letter from one word to the other to make two new words: LIP STALE
Move 'S' from STALE to make TALE, and insert it into LIP to make SLIP. The letter moves right to left here! Tip: Always try both directions. ✓
Move one letter from one word to the other to make two new words: HIP STERN
Move 'S' from STERN to make TERN, and insert it into HIP to make SHIP. The letter moves right to left here! Tip: Always try both directions. ✓
Common mistake 1 of 4
Confirming one new word but not the other.
Tip: The single most common slip. A letter that makes the first word work may leave the second word as nonsense. Teach your child the rule that the question is only solved when BOTH results are real words, and to check the second every time.
Common mistake 2 of 4
Assuming the letter always moves left to right.
Tip: GL tests both directions without telling the child which to use. The answer might mean taking a letter from the second word and giving it to the first. Encourage your child to try the move in both directions before deciding a letter does not work.
Common mistake 3 of 4
Only trying the first and last letters.
Tip: Edge letters are the common case, so children stop there. The intended answer is sometimes a letter from the middle of the source word. If no edge letter produces two real words, prompt your child to test the inner letters too.
Common mistake 4 of 4
Accepting a word that looks right but is not real.
Tip: Near-words such as BRANE or TRALE feel plausible under time pressure. Reading both results aloud quietly helps the ear reject a non-word. If a child is unsure a result is genuine, that option is probably the trap.
It is a question where your child moves one letter from one word to another so that both become new, real words. For example, moving the P from PLATE to AN gives LATE and PAN. The remaining letters keep their order, and the moved letter can be inserted anywhere in the receiving word. It tests spelling, vocabulary and careful checking.
Through multiple choice with five options (A to E) on a separate answer sheet. On PrepStep the options are the five candidate letters that might move, and only one of them leaves two genuine words behind. The child has to work out both which letter travels and, often, in which direction.
Yes. GL does not tell the child which way the letter travels, so the answer might involve taking a letter from the first word or from the second. This is a deliberate trap: many children assume left-to-right only. The reliable approach is to test a candidate letter in both directions before ruling it out.
Three things: the moving letter is sometimes hidden in the middle of a word rather than at an edge, the direction is not stated, and the result can be a less common word such as TERN or COWL that a child must recognise as real. The biggest single error is confirming one new word and forgetting to check the other.
A clear method beats trial and error: remove each candidate letter, check the remainder is a word, then try inserting that letter at every position in the other word, in both directions. Building everyday vocabulary helps a child trust the less common results. Free PrepStep practice provides graded questions with worked explanations that model this remove-and-check routine.
PrepStep has 102 move a letter questions in GL Assessment format: five options, instant feedback, and step-by-step explanations. Free to start.
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