Vowels, Consonants and Letter Position in Words: Counting Questions for SSC Reasoning

Many verbal reasoning questions are about the letters inside a word: how many vowels, how many letters are between two letters, which letter is at a given position from the right, or which letter is in the middle after arranging in alphabetical order. These letter position in words notes for SSC give the facts, the method and solved examples.

Basic Facts

Method

1. Write the letters of the word with the numbers 1, 2, 3 ... below them.
2. Mark the vowels with a circle.
3. For positions from the right, count from the last letter as 1.
4. For alphabetical order, write the letters in the order A, B, C ... and then count.

Solved Examples

Example 1. How many vowels are there in the word EXAMINATION?
E, A, I, A, I, O make 6 vowels.

Example 2. How many letters are between the first and the last letters of the word COMPUTER?
The word has 8 letters, so there are 8 − 2 = 6 letters between C and R.

Example 3. Which is the third letter of the word ELEPHANT?
E, L, E. The third letter is E.

Example 4. Which is the fifth letter from the right in ELEPHANT?
From the right: T, N, A, H, P. The fifth is P.

Example 5. If the letters of PLANET are arranged in alphabetical order, which letter is second?
The order is A, E, L, N, P, T. The second letter is E.

Example 6. How many letters are there in the English alphabet between P and T?
The positions are 16 and 20. 20 − 16 − 1 = 3 (Q, R and S).

Tips

• Count the repeated letters each time they appear.
• The word EDUCATION has 5 vowels (E, U, A, I, O) and 4 consonants (D, C, T, N).
• When a question asks "after arranging", write the new word first and then count.

Quick Tips

• Write the letters with numbers below them.
• Count a repeated letter every time.
• For the position from the right, count from the last letter.
• Write the new order before you count in rearrangement questions.

Quick Revision Points

• There are 5 vowels and 21 consonants.
• Letters between two letters in a word = difference − 1.
• Position from the right = total + 1 − position from the left.
• Count repeated letters again.
• Write the word in the new order first.

Practice Questions With Answers

1. How many vowels are there in EXAMINATION?
   Answer: 6
2. How many consonants are there in SCHOOL?
   Answer: 4
3. How many letters are between the first and last letters of COMPUTER?
   Answer: 6
4. Which is the third letter of ELEPHANT?
   Answer: E
5. Which is the fifth letter from the right in ELEPHANT?
   Answer: P
6. Which is the second letter of PLANET when arranged alphabetically?
   Answer: E
7. How many vowels are there in EDUCATION?
   Answer: 5
8. How many letters are between P and T in the alphabet?
   Answer: 3
9. Which is the first letter of the word COMPUTER when it is written in reverse?
   Answer: R
10. Which letters are the vowels?
    Answer: A, E, I, O and U

How to Practise This Chapter

Practise 10 questions every day and write the steps on paper. Then attempt timed sets from our practice papers and the previous year papers page. See all topics on the Verbal Reasoning notes page, read the previous topic Jumbled Words and Anagrams and the next topic Rank of a Word in Dictionary. Learn the letter positions from the Alphabet Test note first.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many vowels are there?

There are 5 vowels: A, E, I, O and U.

How do I find the position of a letter from the right?

Subtract its position from the left from (total letters + 1).

How do I count the letters between two letters in a word?

Subtract the positions and subtract 1.

Do repeated letters count again?

Yes. Count them each time they appear.

What is alphabetical order?

The order A, B, C and so on up to Z.

How many vowels are in EXAMINATION?

There are 6 vowels.

How many consonants are in SCHOOL?

There are 4 consonants.

Is this topic asked in SSC exams?

Yes. Word-based letter questions are asked in SSC reasoning.

How much time should I take?

About 30 seconds.

What are the common mistakes?

Counting from the wrong end and skipping repeated letters.

How can I improve my speed?

Practise 10 words daily with numbers below the letters.

Is Y a vowel?

No. In reasoning questions, Y is a consonant.