How to Answer 11+ Missing Three Letters Questions

In this type, one word in a sentence has had three letters ripped out of it — three letters in a row — and the wounded word is printed in capitals. "The horse rested in the SLE." The missing three letters always spell a real little word on their own, and you're given five little words to choose from. Slot the right one back in and the capitals heal into a proper word: S + TAB + LE = STABLE.

So it's really two puzzles in one. First, a vocabulary puzzle: what should the broken word be? The sentence is your clue. Second, a spelling puzzle: which three-letter chunk rebuilds it, and where does the chunk go?

Children find the easy ones quick and satisfying, but the hard ones sting: the capitals stop looking like anything ("MAGNIFNT"?), and the five options are often chosen to look annoyingly similar. The method below keeps you steady.

The method

1. Read the sentence for meaning first. Ask: what word SHOULD be there? "The horse rested in the…" — stable, probably. If you can guess the whole word, you've nearly finished.
2. Hum through the gap. Say the capitals slowly and stretch them — "S…LE" — listening for the word they want to become. Your ear often finds it before your eyes do.
3. Try the likely chunks in the blank. Test each option inside the capitals. Common chunks like CAR, PIN or EAR turn up a lot, but only one option will make a real word here.
4. Check the letters either side of the gap. The chunk has to glue onto its neighbours: only some letters can sit next to each other and still spell a real word. This kills wrong options fast.
5. Remember the gap can be anywhere. The three letters might slot in right after the first letter, in the middle, or just before the last letter. Slide the chunk along until the word clicks.

Worked examples

Example 1

A word in the sentence has had three letters taken out. Find the missing three letters that complete the word.

The horse rested in the SLE.

A. RUG B. TAB C. DEN D. COY E. MAP

1. Meaning first: where does a horse rest? A stable.
2. Does SLE stretch into STABLE? S + ? + LE. We need T-A-B in the middle.
3. TAB is sitting in the options. S + TAB + LE = STABLE.

Answer: B. TAB — the word is STABLE.

Example 2

A word in the sentence has had three letters taken out. Find the missing three letters that complete the word.

The SIER marched bravely through the town.

A. GEM B. OLD C. POT D. HIM E. YAK

1. Who marches bravely through a town? A soldier.
2. Line it up: S + ? + IER. SOLDIER needs O-L-D after the S.
3. Test it: S + OLD + IER = SOLDIER. Check a rival to be safe: S + HIM + IER = "SHIMIER" — not a word.

Answer: B. OLD — the word is SOLDIER.

Example 3 (harder — the capitals barely look like a word)

A word in the sentence has had three letters taken out. Find the missing three letters that complete the word.

The fireworks display was truly MAGNIFNT.

A. ACE B. INK C. EAT D. OWN E. ICE

1. Meaning: a fireworks display was truly… magnificent.
2. Spell it against the capitals: MAGNIF + ? + NT. MAGNIFICENT needs I-C-E in that gap.
3. Careful — ACE is lurking in the options to catch anyone who half-remembers the spelling. M-A-G-N-I-F-I-C-E-N-T: the chunk is ICE.

Answer: E. ICE — the word is MAGNIFICENT.

The traps

• Testing the chunk in only one spot. The gap isn't always in the middle. In MUSTARD the chunk sits near the end (MUS + TAR + D); in SHOWER it's near the front (S + HOW + ER). Slide it along.
• Twin options. Banks love option sets like TEN, TIN, TAN, TON — one letter apart. Spell the finished word out completely before you answer; "nearly right" is how these catch you.
• A real word that's the wrong word. Sometimes two options both make something word-like. Only one makes a word that fits the sentence. Always reread the sentence with your finished word in it.
• Ignoring the sentence. The capitals alone can suggest several words. The sentence is there to point at exactly one — use it first, not last.

Try these yourself

1.

A word in the sentence has had three letters taken out. Find the missing three letters that complete the word.

The red BOON floated up into the sky.

A. DEN B. JAR C. ALL D. FAR E. HIM

2.

A word in the sentence has had three letters taken out. Find the missing three letters that complete the word.

They took turns bouncing on the TPOLINE.

A. SAW B. JOG C. KEY D. RAM E. NAP

3.

A word in the sentence has had three letters taken out. Find the missing three letters that complete the word.

The GOVERNT announced plans for a new railway.

A. JOB B. WIN C. TOP D. SUM E. MEN

Answers

1. C — B + ALL + OON = BALLOON: red, floats, sky.
2. D — T + RAM + POLINE = TRAMPOLINE: you bounce on it.
3. E — GOVERN + MEN + T = GOVERNMENT: it announces railway plans.

Related

• The complete 11+ question-type guide
• VR: Hidden Word in Sentence — find the word hiding across two words
• VR: Letter Fit — one letter completes two different words

All example questions come from the Brainblox question bank — practise this question type inside 15 arcade games, timed mock exams and focused practice. Brainblox is an independent app: not affiliated with, endorsed by or licensed by any exam board, school or assessment publisher, and it contains no past papers.