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One More Letter

I don’t know quite how my head works, but for some reason I just spent an hour trying to make the longest list made up of words where you start with one letter and add one letter at a time.

I had a seven

I
pi
pie
pike
spike
spiker
spikers

I got a six with

a
at
ate
late
plate
plates

But then I got an eight

a
as
bas
base
baste
baster
blaster
blasters

Bas, as in bas-relief, like in maps, but it means “stop” in Hindi, from the Persian, but it’s in the OED. A fluke, I’ll give you that, but if anyone can get undisputed nine, then you’re better than me (which is a dubious mantle anyway, but it’s yours).

Tomorrow: Don’t call me, daughter

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This entry was posted on Sunday, April 29th, 2007 at 7:13 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed, or you can skip to the end and leave a comment yourself.

12 Responses to “One More Letter”

  1. Ed R Says:
    April 29th, 2007 at 9:24 am

    a
    at
    ate
    late
    plate
    plater
    platter
    platters
    splatters

    I think that’s nine.

  2. Cliff Says:
    April 29th, 2007 at 10:35 am

    Plater?

    –noun 1. a person or thing that plates.
    2. an inferior race horse.

    I had to look it up.

    Ed rules!

  3. Katy Newton Says:
    April 29th, 2007 at 10:46 am

    He is the King of your game where you start with one letter and add one letter at a time to create new words which by the way really needs a snappier name than it currently has!

  4. Pete Says:
    April 29th, 2007 at 12:34 pm

    i
    in
    sin
    sine
    shine
    shrine
    shrines
    shrineys
    shrilneys
    shrillneys
    shrillkneys
    sherillkneys
    sheryillkneys
    sherylillkneys
    sheerylillkneys
    shreerylillkneys
    shreerylillskneys

    Seventeen! Admittedly, there are some pretty obscure words in there, but they’re all real. Just look them up in the Petetionary*

    *credit where credit’s due, this joke bastardised from Futurama S03E13.

  5. Cliff Says:
    April 29th, 2007 at 4:37 pm

    Sorry Pete.

    And yes, Katie, Ed seems to be king of GWYSWOLAAOLAATTCNW
    (game where you start with one letter and add one letter at a time to create new words)

  6. sooz Says:
    April 29th, 2007 at 9:40 pm

    I can’t do one because I’m distracted by the pretty half fir tree pictures the letters make!

  7. Katy Newton Says:
    April 29th, 2007 at 11:15 pm

    “GWYSWOLAAOLAATTCNW”?

    I like it. It’s unique. I think, though, that if you are going to market GWYSWOLAAOLAATTCNW commercially you will have to devise some sort of board for it in order to fit its name across the packaging.

  8. Ed R Says:
    April 30th, 2007 at 2:05 pm

    “GWYSWOLAAOLAATTCNW”

    Seems vaguely Welsh, doesn’t it?

    I dunno about being ‘king’. I mean, I started with one of Cliff’s entries and just altered one letter in one word, that hardly should make me royalty! I eman, I’d have to pay royalties to Cliff, wouldn’t I, if I’m honest?

  9. Ed R Says:
    April 30th, 2007 at 2:07 pm

    Oh, and I can go another way with it to get nine as well:
    a
    at
    ate
    late
    later
    plater
    platter
    platters
    splatters

  10. Cliff Says:
    April 30th, 2007 at 2:23 pm

    It does sound Welsh. As far as I’m concerned, you take the honours as royalty today.

  11. Ed R Says:
    April 30th, 2007 at 2:24 pm

    Aw shucks.

  12. Clare Says:
    May 2nd, 2007 at 9:18 am

    Oh help, I wish I hadn’t read this. That’s the rest of my day gone, then…

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