Based on the English alphabetical order, three of the following four are alike in a certain way and thus form a group. Which is the one that does not belong to that group?

(Note: The odd one out is not based on the number of consonants/vowels or their position in the letter cluster.)

Question

Prepp Team · Accepted Answer

Understanding the Letter Cluster Grouping

The main goal here is to find the letter cluster that doesn't fit a pattern shared by the other three. The pattern is based on the sequence of letters in the English alphabet.

Analyzing Each Letter Cluster

Option 1: USW

First, let's note the positions of these letters in the alphabet:

U is the 21^st letter.
S is the 19^th letter.
W is the 23^rd letter.

Now, let's examine the steps between consecutive letters:

From U (position 21) to S (position 19), the change is $19 - 21 = -2$.
From S (position 19) to W (position 23), the change is $23 - 19 = +4$.

So, the sequence of changes for USW is -2, +4.

Option 2: AYC

Let's find the alphabetical positions for AYC:

A is the 1^st letter.
Y is the 25^th letter.
C is the 3^rd letter.

We need to calculate the steps between consecutive letters, remembering the alphabet wraps around (Z is followed by A):

From A (position 1) to Y (position 25): If we go backward from A, the sequence is A -> Z -> Y. This represents a step of -2 positions. (Mathematically, $1 - 2 \equiv -1 \pmod{26}$, which corresponds to the 25^th letter, Y).
From Y (position 25) to C (position 3): If we go forward from Y, the sequence is Y -> Z -> A -> B -> C. This represents a step of +4 positions. (Mathematically, $25 + 4 = 29 \equiv 3 \pmod{26}$, which corresponds to the 3^rd letter, C).

The sequence of changes for AYC is also -2, +4.

Option 3: GFI

Let's find the alphabetical positions for GFI:

G is the 7^th letter.
F is the 6^th letter.
I is the 9^th letter.

Now, let's calculate the steps between consecutive letters:

From G (position 7) to F (position 6), the change is $6 - 7 = -1$.
From F (position 6) to I (position 9), the change is $9 - 6 = +3$.

The sequence of changes for GFI is -1, +3.

Option 4: LJN

Let's find the alphabetical positions for LJN:

L is the 12^th letter.
J is the 10^th letter.
N is the 14^th letter.

Let's calculate the steps between consecutive letters:

From L (position 12) to J (position 10), the change is $10 - 12 = -2$.
From J (position 10) to N (position 14), the change is $14 - 10 = +4$.

The sequence of changes for LJN is -2, +4.

Identifying the Odd Letter Cluster

Let's summarize the patterns found for each letter cluster:

Letter Cluster	Alphabetical Positions	Pattern (Step 1st to 2nd, Step 2nd to 3rd)
USW	U(21), S(19), W(23)	-2, +4
AYC	A(1), Y(25), C(3)	-2, +4
GFI	G(7), F(6), I(9)	-1, +3
LJN	L(12), J(10), N(14)	-2, +4

We can see that three of the letter clusters (USW, AYC, and LJN) share the same pattern: the second letter is 2 positions before the first (in alphabetical order), and the third letter is 4 positions after the second. The cluster GFI does not follow this pattern; its pattern is -1 and +3.

Therefore, the letter cluster that stands out and does not belong to the group is GFI.

Prepp Team · Answer

USW

Prepp Team · Answer

AYC

Prepp Team · Answer

LJN