If SHIRT is coded as PEFOQ, then PAINT is coded as

Concept

In this alphabet-coding pattern, every letter of the plain word is shifted by the SAME fixed number of positions in the alphabet to produce the coded word (a constant-shift substitution, like a Caesar cipher). The exact shift amount and direction must first be measured from the given plain-code pair, then applied identically, letter by letter, to the new word — wrapping around from A back to Z whenever the shift runs past A.

Applying it to SHIRT → PEFOQ

1. S → P is a shift of 3 positions back in the alphabet; H → E is also 3 positions back.

2. I → F, R → O, and T → Q are each 3 positions back as well — all five letters use the SAME 3-position backward shift, confirming one constant rule rather than a different shift per letter.

Applying the same shift to PAINT

1. P shifts 3 positions back to M.

2. A shifts 3 positions back and wraps around past the start of the alphabet to X.

3. I shifts 3 positions back to F.

4. N shifts 3 positions back to K.

5. T shifts 3 positions back to Q — the same T → Q step already confirmed in SHIRT → PEFOQ.

Cross-check

Shifting M, X, F, K, Q forward again by the same 3 positions (the exact reverse of the rule above) rebuilds P, A, I, N, T — recovering the original word exactly, which confirms the coded word is consistent with the established rule.

So PAINT is coded as MXFKQ.