How to Solve Jumbles

Solving word jumbles is a great way to keep your mind active and learn some new words. The more you practice, the better you will get as you build pathways for word retrieval and begin to visualize more connections. Solving word puzzles and word jumbles requires a little knowledge of the rules of the English language, especially spelling.

Things You'll Need

• Notepad
• Pencil

Instructions

1. Look for commonly occurring letter combinations. These include consonant blends such as "bl," "cl," "st" "str" and "fl" that commonly begin words and ending blends such as "nt," "nd," "nk," "st," or "ck." Although they will not always appear together, the chances are good that they will.

2. Check for common prefixes like "re," "un," "in" and "pre." Unless word jumbles are short four letter words, prefixes might be part of the word.

3. Look for suffixes such as "ing," "est," "ed," "ier" and "ies" that might appear at the end of the word.

4. Watch for base words such as "stop" or "bend." They might appear with prefixes or suffixes to make new words such as unstoppable or unbending.

5. Try common vowel combinations such as "ie," "oa," "ea," or "ee." When word jumbles have an abundance of vowels, it is likely that some are used in combination within the word.

6. Experiment with vowel consonant vowel patterns such as "ake," "ate," "ome" or "ice."

7. Take a short break if you are stumped. Look away or step away for a moment. When you return you might suddenly see the word amid the letters.