A question on University Challenge tonight drew attention to six letter words in which all the letters appear in alphabetical order. Eg
ABHORS
ABBESS
ACCENT
ACCEPT
ACCESS
ACCOST
ABBESS
ACCENT
ACCEPT
ACCESS
ACCOST
Eg
Subbookkeeper is the only English word with four pairs of double letters in a row.
All of the continents end with the same letter they start with.
Indivisibility is the only word in the English language with only one vowel, which occurs six times.
Asthma begins with a vowel, ends with a vowel, and has no other vowels in between.
Facetious and abstemious contain all the vowels in the correct order.
The only two English words that start and finish with ‘und are underfund & underground.
Uncopyrightable is the longest word with no repeating letters.
The combination -ough can be pronounced in nine different ways. "A rough-coated, dough-faced, thoughtful ploughman strode through the streets of Scarborough; after falling into a slough, he coughed and hiccoughed."
Spoonfeed, nine letters long, is the longest word whose letters are arranged in reverse alphabetical order.
"I am" is the shortest complete sentence in the English language. (No?)
All of the continents end with the same letter they start with.
Indivisibility is the only word in the English language with only one vowel, which occurs six times.
Asthma begins with a vowel, ends with a vowel, and has no other vowels in between.
Facetious and abstemious contain all the vowels in the correct order.
The only two English words that start and finish with ‘und are underfund & underground.
Uncopyrightable is the longest word with no repeating letters.
The combination -ough can be pronounced in nine different ways. "A rough-coated, dough-faced, thoughtful ploughman strode through the streets of Scarborough; after falling into a slough, he coughed and hiccoughed."
Spoonfeed, nine letters long, is the longest word whose letters are arranged in reverse alphabetical order.
"I am" is the shortest complete sentence in the English language. (No?)
6 comments:
Ten ways of pronouncing, '…ough' if you count the colloquial Scots habit of pronouncing 'trough' as ending in '…ch' as in 'loch.' As difficult for the Englishman to manage as to eat porridge with salt but you're not English.
Thanks John. How would an Ulsterman pronounce Lough?
I stand both vindicated and corrected, Gary,
That makes eleven pronunciations since the 'ou' in 'lough' is an open vowel whereas the 'ou' in 'trough' is closed. I'm much relieved because I thought there being ten ways of pronouncing it would have provoked you or Guy Davies to make a 'ten' list of them. But then I'm pretty sure Guy doesn't read your comments pages.
because you like poetry:
The wind was rough
And cold and blough;
She kept her hands inside her mough.
It chilled her through,
Her nose turned blough,
And still the squall the faster flough.
And yet although
There was no snough,
The weather was a cruel fough.
It made her cough,
(Please do not scough);
She coughed until her hat blew ough.
by Bennet Cerf (apparently...)
Diolch. Never seen that.
I just wanted to say thank you for including a link to my site in your post!
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