287 language/english/spelling/operations.on.words/substitution.p
Description
This article is from the Puzzles FAQ, by Chris Cole chris@questrel.questrel.com and Matthew Daly mwdaly@pobox.com with numerous contributions by others.
287 language/english/spelling/operations.on.words/substitution.p
What exceptional words turn into other words by substitution of letters?
language/english/spelling/operations.on.words/substitution.s
longest onalosi (substitution in every position possible)
PASTERS: MASTERS,POSTERS,PALTERS,PASSERS,PASTORS,PASTELS,PASTERN
shortest isolano (no substitution possible)
ECRU
longest word, all letters changed to other letters in minimum number of
steps, yielding another word THUMBING-THUMPING-TRUMPING-TRAMPING-
TRAPPING-CRAPPING-CRAPPIES-CRAPPOES
longest word girders BADGER/SUNLIT, BUDLET/SANGIR (6)
longest word with full vowel substitution
CL(A,E,I,O,U)CKING (8) also Y D(A,E,I,O,U,Y)NE (4)
longest words with vowel substitutions
DESTRUCTIBILITIES, DISTRACTIBILITIES (17)
longest word constant-letter-shifted to another PRIMERO-SULPHUR (7)
arithmetical-letter-shifted DREAM-ETHER (5)
constant-shift-with-transposal (shiftgrams) AEROPHANE-SILVERITE (9)
longest word pair shifted one position on typewriter keyboard WAXIER-ESCORT (6)
longest word pair confusable on a telephone keypad AMOUNTS-CONTOUR (7)
****
Unless noted otherwise, all words occur in Webster's Third New International
Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Springfield, MA, 1961.
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