Mirror codes

Hello, and welcome to Myriora English! Some eleven plus codes use a mirror alphabet. If CAT is written XZG, how is DOG written? Let's find out!

First, look at how far each letter moves. C to X is twenty-one places, but A to Z is twenty-five. They don't all move the same amount, so it isn't a shift code. Try the mirror instead: C and X, A and Z, and T and G are all mirror partners.

Remember, mirror partners add up to twenty-seven. So to find a partner, take the letter's number away from twenty-seven. D is four, and twenty-seven take away four is twenty-three: W. O is fifteen, so its partner is twelve: L. And G is seven, so its partner is twenty: T. DOG is WLT.

Here's a neat thing about mirror codes. Coding and decoding are the same job! The partner of W is D, so WLT turns straight back into DOG.

Let's try one together. In the mirror code, what is the letter B written as? Say it out loud!

Y! B is two, and twenty-seven take away two is twenty-five, which is Y. Well done if you said Y!

Here's a common mistake. What is the mirror partner of M? Some people say M has no partner, because it's in the middle. But M is thirteen, and twenty-seven take away thirteen is fourteen: N. M and N are partners, sitting side by side!

Your turn! In the mirror code, how is SUN written? Pick the right card. You've got ten seconds, or pause the video. Go!

Time's up! S to H, U to F, and N to M: HFM!

Quick review. If the letters move by different amounts, try the mirror code. Mirror partners add up to twenty-seven. And in a mirror code, decoding is the same as coding. See you next time!