Find the next term in the following letter series: ALY, CJW, EHU, _____

Concept

In a letter series made of equal-length groups, compare letters column by column rather than treating each group as one unit.

Convert each letter to its alphabet position and identify the constant change in every column.

Application

1. First column: A(1), C(3), E(5) increases by 2, so the next letter is G(7).

2. Second column: L(12), J(10), H(8) decreases by 2, so the next letter is F(6).

3. Third column: Y(25), W(23), U(21) decreases by 2, so the next letter is S(19).

4. Combining the three next letters gives GFS.

Cross-check

The transitions ALY to CJW, CJW to EHU, and EHU to GFS all use the same column-wise shifts: +2, -2, -2. Hence the next term is GFS.