Coding-

Decoding
Coding means to hide the meaning of any message and decoding means to
understand the actual meaning of that message.

In questions based on coding-decoding, a word or sentence is coded in a

particular way and the candidates are asked to code other word or sentence
in the same way or to decode the word or sentence.

Position of Letters in English Alphabet

Sometimes a word or a sentence is coded by changing the position of English
alphabet letters according to a definite pattern, so it is necessary to
remember the positions of all the letters in English alphabetical order, both in
forward and backward order.

Circular Arrangement of Letters in English Alphabet

1: Clockwise Arrangement 2: Anti-clockwise Arrangement

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If we have to find the letter one placed forward to A, then the letter will be B
and this result can be found out by using either linear or circular arrangement
but when one is asked to find the letter which is one letter backward of A (Z is
one letter backward A) or one letter forward of Z (A is the one letter forward
Z), then only circular arrangement gives such results.

Method to Remember the Position of Letters in English Alphabet

Some method/techniques are given to remember the positions of English
alphabets in forward or backward order.

1. By using EJOTY and CFILORUX formulae, we can easily remember the

position of letters of English alphabet in forward order.

Note:

Backward order position of a letter = 27 - Forward order position of letter

e.g. Backward order position of B = 27 - Forward order position of B = 27 - 2 = 25

2. By Using V Q L G B and X U R O L I F C, we can easily remember the

position
2 of letters of English alphabet is reverse order.
Types of Coding - Decoding
Type #1: Letter/Number Coding
In this type of coding, we deal with questions, in which the letters of a word
are replaced by certain other letters or numbers according to a specific
pattern/rule to form a code. You are required to detect the coding
pattern/rule and answer the question(s) that are asked, based on that
coding pattern/rule.

Example 1: In a certain code language, 'GIVE' is written as 'VIEG' and 'OVER' is

written as "EVRO'. How will 'DISK' be written in that same code?
(a) SIDK
(b) KISD
(c) KDSI
(d) SIKD
Solution: (d)

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Example 2: If in a certain code 'INTELLIGENCE' is written as 'ETNIGILLECNE', then
how can 'MATHEMATICAL' be written in the same code?

(a) AMHTMETACILA (b) TAMMEHTALAC

(c) HTAMTAMELACI (d) LACITAMEHTAM

Solution: (c)

Similarly,

Example 3: If GOODNESS is coded as HNPCODTR, then how GREATNESS can

be writtenin that code?

(a) HQZSMFRT
(b) HQFZUFRTM
(c) HQFZUODTR
(d) HQFZUMFRT
Solution: (d) Clearly, the letters in the word GOODNESS are moved one step
forward and one step backward, alternately to obtain the letters of the
code.

Similarly,
Example 4: If GRASP is code as TIZHK, what will be code as OVTZXB?

(a) LEGATE (b) LEAGUE

(c) LEGACY (d) LEDGER

Solution: (c)

Example 5: If 'WORK' is coded as '4-12-9-16', then how will you code

'WOMAN'? (a) 4-12-14-26-13 (b) 4-26-14-13-12

(c) 23-12-26-14-13 (d) 23-15-13-1-14

Solution: (a)

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Here, each letter is coded by the numerical value obtained by subtracting its
'position value' in English alphabetical order, from 27, e.g. letters W, O, M, A, N
are at 23rd, 15th, 13th, 1st and 14th position in alphabetical order. So, their
codes are (27 - 23), (27 - 15), (27 - 13), (27 - 1),
(27 - 14), i.e. 4, 12, 14, 26, 13 respectively i.e. their backward order position.
Example 6: If CUP = 40, then KITE

= ? (a) 10 (b) 20
(c) 30 (d) 45
Solution: (d) Using forward letter positions,

Example 7: If BAG = 71, then VICE

= ? (a) 69 (b) 70
(c) 75 (d) 90

Solution: (a)

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Type #2: Direct Coding
In direct coding, the code letters/numbers/ symbols occur in the same
sequence as the corresponding letters occur in the words. This is basically a
direct substitution method.

Example 8: If DEVICE is coded as BAREXA and ORNATE is coded as

ZVMESA, what VIDEO be coded as?

(a) RIBAZ (b) REBAZ

(c) RBEAZ (d) ZABER

Solution: (d) Using direct letter coding method,

Example 9: In a certain code, 'GONE' is written as 5 % 2 # and 'MEDAL' is written

as 4 # 3 $ @, then how will 'GOLD' be written in that code?

(a) 5 @ % 3

(b) 5 % @ 3

(c) 5 # @

3 (d) 5 %

#3

Solution: (b) Using direct coding method,

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Type #3: Conditional Coding
In this type, letters/numbers are given along with their code. Candidates are
required to find the codes for a particular letter group/word/number
according to certain conditions given in the questions.

Directions (Examples 11 - 13) Study the following letters and their

corresponding digits code followed by certain conditions of coding and then
answer the questions given below them by finding out which of the digits
combinations given in (a), (b), (c) and (d) is the coded form of the letters-
groups given in each question and mark your answer accordingly.
Letters P N A J I R E B U K
Digits/Codes 5 3 9 1 4 6 2 7 0 8

Conditions

(I) If both the first and the last letters in the group are vowels, both should be
coded as $.
(II) If both the first and the last letters in the group are consonants, both should
be coded as #.

Example 11: KUNAJB

(a) 803917

(b)

$0391$

(c)

#0391#
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(d)
#0391$

Solution: (c) We know that, in English alphabets A, E, I, O, U letters are

vowels and remaining letters are consonants.

From condition (II),

Example 12: RBUKAE

(a) #70892

(b) 670892

(c) 670982

(d) 607892

Solution: (b) We know that, in English alphabets A, E, I, O, U letters are vowels

and remainingletters are consonants.

Example 13: EBNAPI

(a) 273954

(b)

$7395$

(c)

#7395#

(d)

$7395#

Solution: (b) We know that, in English alphabets A, E, I, O, U letters are vowels

and
9 remaining letters are consonants.

From condition (I),

Some of the major types of coding logics are
 Constant addition in the position of letters
 Constant subtraction in the position of letters.
 Denoting the position of letters in the whole alphabetical order.
 Addition of the positions of all the letters to make code for the word.
 Constant addition and subtraction alternatively in the position of all the
letters.
 Square of the number of letters in the word.
 Arranging the letters in the alphabetical order.
 Arrangement of letters in the word given in reverse order.
 Interchanging each pair of the letters, in the given word.
 Constant addition and then reversal of the letters to form the final word.
Now we will discuss some of the important types of coding with

the help of examples. Note: It is advised that the student should

learn the alphabetical order of all the letters.

Some important coding decoding tricks & tips:

1. THE ALPHABET & EJOTY CONCEPT:

There are exactly 26 letters in
English alphabets. A-Z (1 to 26).
A-1, B-2; C-3, and so on.

We should learn numbering of every letter. So for better convenience, you

can learn two words which help you to remember numbering of letters which
are given below:
A1 B C D E
F 0 G H I J
K L M N O
 P Q R S T
U V WZ X Y

5 10 15 20 25
E J O T Y

Reverse EJOTY: When we start count Alphabets

from the Z to A, this is called reverse EJOTY It can
be easily explained by an example given below:

Example: If code for AYNA IS 'ZBMZ, find the code

for NUTS. According to alphabet series, the
position of A-1, Y-25, N-14, A-1

In reverse EJOTY, Z-1, B-25, M-14, Z-1

Or we can also say that,
1 25 14 1
A Y N A
+
Z B M Z
26 2 13 26

Sum of every letter & its corresponding coded letter is 27. Therefore, code for
NUTS is 'MFGH'.

Types of Coding – Decoding:

Type 1: Letter
Coding. Type 2:
Number Coding.
Type 3: Substitution.
Type4: New Type of Coding Detailed Explanation

Type 1: LETTER CODING:

In this type, the real alphabets in a word are replaced by certain other
alphabets according to a specific rule to form its code. the candidate is
required to detect the common rule and answer the questions accordingly.

Case1: To form the code for another word

If in a certain language MYSTIFY is coded as NZTUJGZ, how is NEMESIS coded in
that language?
Sol.1 Clearly, each letter in the word MYSTIFY is moved one step forward to
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obtain the corresponding letter of the code.
MYSTIFY
+1↓
NZTU
JGZ
So, in NEMESIS, N will be coded as O, E as F, M as N and so on. Thus, the code
becomes OFNFTJT.

Case 2: To find the word by analyzing the given code (DECODING)

If in a certain language CARROM is coded as BZQONL, which word
will be coded as HOUSE? Sol. each letter of the word is one step
ahead of the corresponding letter of the code BZQONLHOUSE
+1↓
CARROMI
PVTF
So, H is coded as I, O as PU as V, S as T and E as F.
HOUSE is coded as IPVTE.

Type 2: NUMBER CODING

In these questions, either numerical code values
are assigned to a word or alphabetical code
letters are assigned to the numbers. The
candidate is required to analyses the code as per
the directions.

Case 1: When numerical code values are assigned to words

If in a certain language A is coded as 1, B is
coded as 2, and so on, how is BIDDIC is coded in
that code?
Sol.
As given the letters are coded as
A B C D E F G H I
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

So, in BIDDIC, B is coded as 2, I as 9,D as 4 and C as 3. Thus, BIDDIC is coded as

294493

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Case 2: Number to letter coding.
In a certain code, 2 is coded as P. 3 as N, 9 as 0.5 as R. 4 as A and 6 as B.
How is 599423 coded in that code?
Sol. Clearly as given 5 is coded as R. 9 as Q, 4 as A, 2 as P. 3 as N. So, 599423 is
coded as RQQAPN

Type 3: SUBSTITUTION
In this section an object names are substituted with different object names.
We should carefully trace the substitution and answer given question.

For Example:
In this section an object names are substituted with different object names.
We should carefully trace the substitution and answer given question.

For Example:
If white is called blue, blue is called red, red is called yellow, yellow is called
green, green is called black, black is called violet and violet is called orange,
what would be the color of human blood?
Sol. The color of the human blood is 'red', and as it is given that 'red' is
called yellow'. So, the color of human blood is yellow'.

Type 4: NEW TYPE OF CODING

This is a kind of coding recently included in the Reasoning section. In this type
of questions either alphabetical code values are assigned to symbols or
symbols are assigned to alphabets. The candidate is required to analyze the
code as per direction.

For Example:
In a certain code 'TOME' is written as ‘@ $* ?’ and ‘ARE’ is written as '∙ £?' How can
'REMOTE’ be written in that code?
Sol. From the data we have T = @, O = S, M = *, E = ? and
A = ∙ , R = £, E = ? Hence REMOTE is coded as £ ? * $ @ ?

Some Useful Tricks:

Trick 1: Use EJOTY to remember position of
alphabet (Total=26) in series.
coding
Opposite
1 position of letters (A = 26, B = 25 Z = 1)
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Opposite of each letter (A is opposite to Z and B is
opposite to Y and C is opposite to X and so on)
Trick 2: The reverse order can be obtained by
subtracting the position from 27 say
Example: Opposite of M = 13 is 27 - 13 = 14 = Fourteen = N
(I) Coding - Decoding by Letter Shifting:
In this method, one or more English words are given with their respective
codes. The coding is based on shifting the positions of the individual letters
based on their place in the English Alphabet. You have to identify a
common pattern and apply the same pattern to the word in the question to
find its code or apply the reverse pattern to the given code to find the
original word.

Example 1: In a certain code 'MONARCHY' is written as 'NPOBSDIZ'. How will 'STANDARD'

be written in that code?
Solution: In this question, each letter of 'MONARCHY' is simply replaced by its
next letter as per English Alphabet. M + 1 = N;
O +
1 =
P; N
+1=
O; H
+1=
1; Y
+1=
Z;
Based on similar pattern, code for 'STANDARD' is 'TUBOEBSE'. Let's take a
slightly more complicated example.

Example 2: In a certain code 'ARCHERY' is written as 'DSBGZSF’ How will the word
'TERMITE' be written in that code?

Solution and Steps Involved:

1. Write down the letters in one line and its code in the line below.
2. Analyze the coding pattern by matching the code with the word.

We can see that the word has been divided into three parts, where letters
of the first and third parts are increased by 1 position and then reversed
among themselves while the lone letter in the middle part is decreased
by 1.

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NOTE: Here increasing or decreasing by 'n place means, exchanging the
4current letter with a letter that is 'n places to the right or left, respectively,
in the English Alphabet.
3. Once the pattern has been identified, find the code for the word asked in the question:

Hence, code for ‘TERMITE’ is 'SFULFUJ’

Variations:

A. Just the jumbling of letters with no substitution

by any other letter: The jumbling can be done
directly or by dividing the given word in multiple
parts and jumbling each part separately.

(II) Coding Letters of a Word:

In these questions, the letters of one or more
words are coded in terms of symbols/digits/other
letters. You have to identify the code of the
individual letter by comparing and based on this,
find out the code for given word.
Types:
A. There is a one to one relation between letters and the code, which you can
identify by just comparing letters with the code of same place value.

Example 3: In a certain code 'CAMPHOR' is written as '6$3#152' and 'SAKE' is

written as '@$98'. How is 'MORSE' written in that code language?

Solution and Steps Involved:

1. Write down letters and codes corresponding to their position
2. Check common letters in given words and their codes.
3. If the common letter has same code each time, highlight the letters that
are part of the word that has been asked in the question.
C→6 S→@
A→$ A→$
M→3 K→9
P→# E→8
H→1 O→5
R→2
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4. 5Rewrite the word in the question and corresponding codes below each
letter. (Remember here order of letters will matter.)
 M O R S E
3 5 2 @ 8
Hence, the code for 'MORSE' is ‘352@8'.

Variations:
1. Letters are coded as other letters without any letter shifting or jumbling.
These may appear tough as you might be looking for letter shifting patterns.
But there is only direct correspondence between the letters of the word and
the letters of the code and no other relationship exists.

Example 4: If CARING is coded as MPDRGF, and SHARES is coded as XLPDUX,

how could CASKET be possibly coded in the same code?
(a) MPXBUN
(b) MXPGUN
(c) MPDDUX
(d) LMPGFR
(e) FGRDXP

EXERCISE

Q. 1. If in a certain language, MADRAS is coded as NBESBT, how is BOMBAY

coded in that code?
(a) CPNCBX
(b) CPNCBZ
(c) CPOCBZ
(d) CQOCBZ
Q. 2. In a certain code, TRIPPLE is written as SQHOOKD. How is DISPOSE written
in thatcode?
(a) CHRONRD
(b) DSOESPI
(c) ESJTPTF
(d) ESOPSID
Q. 3. If in a code language, COULD is written as BNTKC and MARGIN is written
as
LZQFHM, how will MOULDING be written in that code?
(a)1CHMFINTK
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(b) LNKTCHMF
(c) LNTKCHMF
(d) NITKHCMF
Q. 4. In a certain code, MONKEY is written as XDJMNL. How is TIGER written in
thatcode?
(a) QDFHS
(b) SDFHS
(c) SHFDQ
(d) UJHFS
Q. 5. If FRAGRANCE is written as SBHSBODFG, how can IMPOSING be written?
(a) NQPTJHOJ
(b) NQPTJOHI
(c) NQTPJOHJ
(d) NQPTJOHJ
Q. 6. Suppose that a particular ‘TIGER’ is written as ‘QDFHS’. Find out how ‘FISH’
will be
written in the same code?
A. GERH
B. GRHE
C. GREH
D. GHRE
Q. 7. Using a particular code ‘HILTON’ is encrypted as ‘IHTLNO’. Choose the
right option for ‘BILLION’ coded in the same form?

A. IBLLION
B. IBOILLN
C. IBLLOIN
D. IBLOILN

Q. 8. If ‘FROZEN’ is decoded as ‘OFAPSG’. Tick the right option that depicts

‘MOLTEN’
written in this way?

A. OFPOMN
B. OFSMPN
C. OFUMPN
D. OFUNPN

Q. 9. If BROWN is written as ‘ZPMUL’, then VIOLET is coded as

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A. TGMJCR
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B. SGMJCQ
 C. TGMJCQ
D. TGWCQ
Q. 10. If CHAIR is written as ‘12345’, RENT is written as ‘5678’, and then REAR is
written as
A. 5635
B. 5356
C. 5365
D. 5653

Q. 11. If a dog is called “cat”, cat is called “lion”, lion is called “rat”, then
which of these
lives in a forest?
A. Rat
B. Lion
C. Dog
D. Cat

Q. 12. If the desk is called "chair", chair is called "blackboard", blackboard is

called "duster",duster is called "chalk", and then where do you sit in the
classroom?
A. Blackboard
B. Chair
C. Desk
D. Duster

Q. 13. If cake is called “egg”, if egg is called “coffee”, coffee is called “tea”,
then which is
white
in colour?
A. Cake
B. Egg
C. Coffee
D. Tea

Q. 14. If January is called “March”, March is called “April” and April is called
“May”, then
which of the following months will have only 30 days?
A. January
B. March
C. April
D. May

Q. 15. If NECK is written as '123%', LUCK is written as '+@3%' and LIKE is written as
'+÷%2',then NICE is written as
A. 1%÷3
1B. 1÷32
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C. 1÷@2
D. ÷13+
Q. 16. If MEDICO is written as 'PBGFFL', then DOCTOR is coded as
A. GLFQRO
B. GLFQLR
C. GLFQLS
D. GRFWLQ

Q. 17. In a certain code language COMPUTER is written as RFUVQNPC. How will

MEDICINE be written in that code language?
A. MFEDJJOE
B. EOJDEJFM
C. MFEJDJOE
D. EOJDJEFM

Q. 18. In a certain code language, '134' means 'good and tasty'; '478' means 'see
good pictures' and '729' means 'pictures are faint'. Which of the following
digits stands for 'see'?
A. 9
B. 2
C. 1
D. 8

19. If Z = 52 and ACT = 48, then BAT will be equal to

A. 39
B. 41
C. 44
D. 46

20. If ROSE is coded as 6821, CHAIR is coded as 73456 and PREACH is coded
as 961473,what will be the code for SEARCH?
A. 246173
B. 214673
C. 214763
D. 216473

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