I can't find any posts on this question. Hope this is not a re-post.

A researcher plans to identify each participant in a certain medical experiment with a code consisting of either a single letter or a pair of distinct letters written in alphabetic order. What is the least number of letters that can be used if there are 12 participants, and each participant is to receive a different code?

A. 4

B. 5

C. 6

D. 7

E. 8

Ans = B

My answer is A. Maybe I didn't get through the question. My understanding is: can use SINGLE letter or 2 letters. So only need 4 alphabets. 4 letters + 4*3 > 12

Please help!