Reading letters and numbers as words is known Autonumerology- first discovered by noel Woodall the art of Autonumerology has fuelled the growth of the number plate market- James Newell looks back at how it began.
What is autonumerology?
Autonumerology is basically reading number plate letters and numbers as words- for example J4MES would be read as JAMES instead of J-4-M-E-S.
Autonumerology has been the driving force behind personalised number plates in the uk- some of the most desirable plate combinations “read” common names or words.
Noel Woodall
In 1964 Noel Woodall first coined the phrase Autonumerology to put a name to his interest in car registrations, this made him the world’s first Autonumerologist.
In the past 40 years, he has remained fascinated by personal number plates and is recognised as an authority on the subject.
How to read a number plate as a word
Over the years – and starting with Noel Woodall’s early work- an alternative “number plate alphabet” has emerged to help explain the workings of autonumerology:
D can be represented by 0
I or L can be represented by 1
R or Z can be represented by 2
E can be represented by 3
A, D, H can be represented by 4
S can be represented by 5
G or B can be represented by6
T or Y can be represented by 7
A or B can be represented by 8
G can be represented by 9
U or H can be represented by 11
R can be represented by 12
B can be represented by 13
N can be represented by 1V
0 can be represented by D,6,8, or 9
W can be represented by VV
U can be represented by V
How can autonumerology help me?
When searching for a number plate you will need to substitute letters and numbers at some point to get your ideal combination- once you know which letters and numbers can be swapped it’s easier to find your ideal reg.
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