Verbal Reasoning: Hidden Words Set 4
Verbal Reasoning: Hidden Words Set 4 is a focused practice set on finding a hidden word that spans the boundary between two consecutive words in a sentence, alongside missing-word and compound-word puzzles where a single word must complete two different words at once. These question types test whether a pupil can scan quickly and accurately for letter patterns across word boundaries, rather than relying on the meaning of the sentence itself, which is often unrelated to the hidden word.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Read the sentence and focus on each pair of neighbouring words in turn, working from left to right so you do not miss a boundary.
- For each pair of neighbouring words, write out the last two or three letters of the first word joined to the first two or three letters of the next word, since the hidden word almost always sits across this join.
- Check that the letters you have found spell a genuine word reading left to right in order, not letters picked out from different parts of the sentence.
- For a missing three-letter word that completes two other words, test candidate three-letter words by reading them at the end of the first word and the start of the second word, checking both form real words.
- For a word that completes two compound words at once, try the candidate word after the first given word and before the second given word separately, and check both results are genuine compound words.
- Once you find a hidden or missing word that fits, keep scanning the rest of the sentence briefly, since a well-made question usually has only one valid answer, but it is worth confirming nothing else fits as cleanly.
Worked example
Find the hidden four-letter word that runs across two consecutive words: 'We saw a zebra inside the enclosure.'
- Look at each pair of neighbouring words in turn: 'a zebra', 'zebra inside', 'inside the'.
- Focus on 'zebra inside': the last two letters of 'zebra' are R and A, and the first two letters of 'inside' are I and N.
- Read these four letters in the order they appear: R, A, I, N, which spells RAIN.
- Check that RAIN is a genuine word, and that no other neighbouring pair in the sentence hides a word as cleanly.
- Final answer: RAIN, hidden across 'zebRA INside'.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1Find the hidden four-letter word that runs across two consecutive words: 'The demo onstage impressed everyone.'Show answer
Answer: MOON, hidden across 'demO ONstage'
Q2Find the word that completes both compound words: FOOT____ and ____STOOL.Show answer
Answer: STEP (FOOTSTEP, STEPSTOOL)
Q3Find the word that completes both compound words: RAIN____ and ____FALL.Show answer
Answer: WATER (RAINWATER, WATERFALL)
Q4Find the hidden four-letter word that runs across two consecutive words: 'A jaguar tsunami warning was issued.'Show answer
Answer: ARTS, hidden across 'jaguAR TSunami'
Q5Find the three-letter word that completes both words: CAR____ and ____ALS.Show answer
Answer: PET (CARPET, PETALS)
Q6Find the hidden four-letter word that runs across two consecutive words: 'Please shut the laptop entirely before travel.'Show answer
Answer: OPEN, hidden across 'laptOP ENtirely'
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a 11+ exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Find the hidden four-letter word that runs across two consecutive words in this sentence, and state which two words it spans: 'The cocoa theft was reported to police.'
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 3 available
Find the word that completes both compound words below, and explain how you checked your answer against each word: FIRE____ and ____PLACE.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 3 available
Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the verbal reasoning: hidden words set 4 worksheet pack - 15 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
This topic is chapter 23 of 11+ Verbal Reasoning Workbook 2, the whole course as one free printable PDF.
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