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Make a Word 2

Make-a-word puzzles test imagination and logic. Pupils break longer words into smaller ones, improving vocabulary, spelling, and flexible thinking skills for the 11 Plus.

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Fascinating Fact:

Lewis Carroll loved make a word style play, creating words like chortle by blending chuckle and snort.

In 11 Plus Verbal Reasoning, pupils use make-a-word puzzles to spot smaller words or blends hidden inside longer ones. These exercises boost creativity and strengthen vocabulary knowledge.

Key Terms

Blend: A new word made by joining parts of two different words.
Sub-word: A smaller word formed from letters of a longer word.
Wordplay: Clever or creative use of words for puzzles or humour.

Parents may also find our guide on 11 Plus courses and materials useful when preparing for these puzzles.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is a make-a-word puzzle in the 11 Plus?

It is a puzzle where pupils create smaller words from longer words, testing spelling, vocabulary, and creative reasoning skills.

How do make-a-word puzzles improve vocabulary?

They encourage pupils to spot and practise words they already know while discovering new ones, helping to expand vocabulary naturally.

Are make-a-word puzzles common in 11 Plus exams?

They are often used in Verbal Reasoning practice and can appear in several 11 Plus test formats, depending on the exam board.

Try These Related Quizzes

Example: Find the word that completes group b. in the SAME way as the word in brackets completes group a. Select the correct answer from the four choices available.

a. rags ( ring ) main
b. line ( ? ) plea

lean
nail
pain
leap

If we give each letter a number, from 1 - 8, the 'g' in rags is 3 and the 'm' in main is 5. The correct answer is lean because ring = 1783. If we use the same numbers on line and plea we get lean.

1 .

Find the word that completes group b. in the SAME way as the word in brackets completes group a. Select the correct answer from the four choices available.

a. flea (raft) rust
b. cape (?) dirk

neck

deck

desk

rick

If we give each letter a number from 1 - 8, the 'e' in flea is 3 and the 's' in rust is 7. The correct answer is deck because raft = 5418. If we use the same numbers on cape and dirk we get deck. A dirk is a small dagger men used to carry for personal protection

2 .

Find the word that completes group b. in the SAME way as the word in brackets completes group a. Select the correct answer from the four choices available.

a. shed (this) trip
b. bran (?) gout

grab

snub

plug

grub

If we give each letter a number from 1 - 8, the 'e' in shed is 3 and the 'i' in trip is 7. The correct answer is grub because this = 5271. If we use the same numbers on bran and gout we get grub. Gout is an illness people can get if levels of uric acid are not managed properly by the body, leading to a very painful kind of arthritis

3 .

Find the word that completes group b. in the SAME way as the word in brackets completes group a. Select the correct answer from the four choices available.

a. hole (moth) myth
b. pony (?) slam

stop

soap

slap

slop

If we give each letter a number from 1 - 8, the 'l' in hole is 3 and the 't' in bite is 7. The correct answer is soap because moth = 5271. If we use the same numbers on pony and slam we get soap. You may have noticed that the number combination could have been 5278, given that 'h' could be 1 or 8. However, 'soam' wasn't in the choice of answers (even though it is a word), therefore it had to be soap!

4 .

Find the word that completes group b. in the SAME way as the word in brackets completes group a. Select the correct answer from the four choices available.

a. back (acid) edit
b. harp (?) byte

arts

arid

only

arty

If we give each letter a number from 1 - 8, the 'c' in back is 3 and the 'i' in edit is 7. The correct answer is arty because acid = 2376. If we use the same numbers on harp and byte we get arty. A byte is a measurement of computer memory. Eight 'bits' of memory = 1 byte. 1024 bytes = 1 megabyte

5 .

Find the word that completes group b. in the SAME way as the word in brackets completes group a. Select the correct answer from the four choices available.

a. link (nail) vial
b. wags (?) herb

grew

grow

glow

gran

If we give each letter a number from 1 - 8, the 'n' in link is 3 and the 'a' in vial is 7. The correct answer is grew because nail = 3761. If we use the same numbers on wags and herb we get grew. A vial is a small bottle or container, usually for medicine. The word comes from the Latin word 'phiala', meaning a drinking vessel

6 .

Find the word that completes group b. in the SAME way as the word in brackets completes group a. Select the correct answer from the four choices available.

a. date (pert) crop
b. zero (?) busy

four

hour

tour

your

If we give each letter a number from 1 - 8, the 'r' in zero is 3 and the 's' in busy is 7. The correct answer is your because pert = 8463. If we use the same numbers on zero and busy we get your. The letter 'u' in busy doesn't sound like a 'u' should. Can you think of what we call words that sound exactly the way they are spelled? Read below for the answer

7 .

Find the word that completes group b. in the SAME way as the word in brackets completes group a. Select the correct answer from the four choices available.

a. blog (glen) wren
b. limb (?) date

kite

rite

bite

cite

If we give each letter a number from 1 - 8, the 'o' in blog is 3 and the 'e' in wren is 7. The correct answer is bite because glen = 4278. If we use the same numbers on limb and date we get bite. A blog is a kind of online diary - the word is short for 'weblog' and it is estimated that there are over 230 million blogs on the internet. Start reading now!

8 .

Find the word that completes group b. in the SAME way as the word in brackets completes group a. Select the correct answer from the four choices available.

a. barn (robe) poke
b. able (?) wolf

loan

lope

foal

loaf

If we give each letter a number from 1 - 8, the 'r' in barn is 3 and the 'k' in poke is 7. The correct answer is loaf because robe = 3618. If we use the same numbers on able and wolf we get loaf. The answer to the puzzle in question 6? When words are spelled as they are pronounced, we call it phonetic spelling. Not fonetik though!

9 .

Find the word that completes group b. in the SAME way as the word in brackets completes group a. Select the correct answer from the four choices available.

a. aunt (tack) cake
b. edgy (?) lips

help

yelp

kelp

yell

If we give each letter a number from 1 - 8, the 'n' in aunt is 3 and the 'k' in cake is 7. The correct answer is yelp because tack = 4157. If we use the same numbers on edgy and lips we get yelp. A yelp is an animal noise made by a dog, but we can yelp too if we are hurt or shocked

10 .

Find the word that completes group b. in the SAME way as the word in brackets completes group a. Select the correct answer from the four choices available.

a. huge (glut) belt
b. calf (?) chef

leaf

lean

leak

bean

If we give each letter a number from 1 - 8, the 'g' in huge is 3 and the 'l' in belt is 7. The correct answer is leaf because glut = 3728. If we use the same numbers on calf and chef we get leaf. Congratulations! If you are completing our Verbal Reasoning quizzes in order, you are half way through the Make a Word series. If you are not, why not? They are great fun and great practice for your 11+ tests

Author: Stephen O'Hara