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Topic: Word ladders (Read 1668 times) |
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maryl
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Doublets is the name of the popular word puzzle invented by Lewis Carroll - now also known by a variety of other names: Word Ladders, Ladderwords, Stepwords, Word Chains, Laddergrams, Transitions, Transformations, etc.
Transform one word into another by changing a single letter in each step, so that each link in the chain is a valid word. For example, to change MORE into LESS with 3 links:
MORE, lore, lose, loss, LESS
------------------------------------------------------------------------ --------
3 links
1. Put MILK into PAIL
2. WELL DONE
3. Change MICE into RATS
4. Find CAMP SITE
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Sir Col
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Re: Word ladders
« Reply #1 on: Jun 27th, 2003, 4:37pm » |
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I absolutely love these. I spend many a spare moment changing one n-letter word into another! 
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1. MILK, mill, pill, pall, PAIL
2. WELL, dell, doll, dole, DONE
3. MICE, rice, race, rate, RATS
4. CAMP, came, same, sate, SITE
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Here are some more to play with:
5. Make ONE become TWO
6. Convert WHITE to BLACK
7. Put BOOK into CASE
8. Turn GOOD into EVIL (I've never solved this last one at all, but you never know...)
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| « Last Edit: Jun 27th, 2003, 4:44pm by Sir Col » |
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ThudnBlunder
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Re: Word ladders
« Reply #2 on: Jun 28th, 2003, 6:06am » |
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:
5)
ONE
OWE
OWO (a city in Nigeria)
TWO
7)
BOOK
BOSK (a small wooded area)
BASK
CASK
CASE
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Sir Col
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Re: Word ladders
« Reply #3 on: Jun 28th, 2003, 6:24am » |
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Great solution for BOOK to CASE, T&B. My best had 5 link words!
I think we'll have to stipulate that no foreign words or proper nouns are to be used: ONE to TWO is quite tricky.
Here's a couple more really hard ones:
9. Turn GIRL into LADY.
10. Put WATER into GLASS (the best I have is 9 steps/8 links).
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| « Last Edit: Jun 28th, 2003, 6:26am by Sir Col » |
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ThudnBlunder
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Re: Word ladders
« Reply #4 on: Jun 28th, 2003, 7:25am » |
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Quote:| I think we'll have to stipulate that no foreign words or proper nouns are to be used: |
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Then it goes without saying that you will give acronyms short shrift.
But how about abbreviations such as 'eval'?
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THE MEEK SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH.....................................................................er, if that's all right with the rest of you.
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Sir Col
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Re: Word ladders
« Reply #5 on: Jun 28th, 2003, 7:42am » |
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I don't make the rules! 
It's just my opinion that proper nouns, abbreviations, acronyms, &c., lack elegance. What do other's think?
By the way, I think we could allow 'eval' anyway, as it seems to be an obscure word which relates to a duration of time; although I can't imagine how it would be used in a sentence?
Another interesting question: As far as I know there is no link word with FROZEN, but what is the shortest word which has no link word?
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| « Last Edit: Jun 28th, 2003, 8:07am by Sir Col » |
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tohuvabohu
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5. one ons ins inn ion ton too two
6.white whine thine think thank shank shack slack black
7.book cook cork core care case
8. good goad grad grid arid avid ovid (broadly elliptical) ovil (sheepfold) evil
9. girl gill mill mall male made lade lady
10.water later laver lover loves lores lords loads goads grads grass glass
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Sir Col
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Re: Word ladders
« Reply #7 on: Jun 28th, 2003, 8:13am » |
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Wow, tohuvabohu! I was convinced that it was impossible to change GOOD into EVIL.
What about...?
11. Put FROG in POND.
12. Make LAMB into MEAT.
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TenaliRaman
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Re: Word ladders
« Reply #8 on: Jun 28th, 2003, 8:43am » |
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11 > FROG --> from --> prom --> prod --> pood --> POND
12 > LAMB --> lamp --> camp --> carp --> cart --> cert --> celt --> melt --> MEAT
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| « Last Edit: Jun 28th, 2003, 8:52am by TenaliRaman » |
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maryl
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6 links
Increase ONE to TWO: ONE, ope, opt, out, tut, tot, too, TWO
Make BLACK WHITE: BLACK, blank, blink, clink, chink, chine, whine, WHITE
Use BREAD for TOAST
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TenaliRaman
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Re: Word ladders
« Reply #10 on: Jun 28th, 2003, 10:30am » |
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BREAD --> break --> bleak --> bleat --> blest --> blast --> boast --> TOAST
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Sir Col
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Re: Word ladders
« Reply #11 on: Jun 28th, 2003, 10:41am » |
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14. Change WINTER into SUMMER.
15. Show how MONEY becomes GREED.
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maryl
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7 links
Transpose FLUTE into CELLO
Turn LINEN into SHEET
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Sir Col
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Re: Word ladders
« Reply #13 on: Jun 28th, 2003, 11:12am » |
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The best I can manage with FLUTE to CELLO, so far...
FLUTE, fluke, flake, slake, slate, slats, seats, seals, sells, cells, CELLO
No joy with LINEN to SHEET. 
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TenaliRaman
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Re: Word ladders
« Reply #14 on: Jun 28th, 2003, 12:03pm » |
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MONEY --> coney --> covey --> cover --> coyer --> foyer --> fryer --> freer --> freed --> GREED
LINEN --> liken --> liker --> biker --> baker --> waker --> wager --> sager --> sayer --> shyer --> sheer --> SHEET
But this is not 7 links 
Edited:WINTER --> winner --> wanner --> wander --> warder --> harder --> harper --> hamper --> damper --> damped --> dammed --> dimmed --> dimmer --> simmer --> SUMMER
P.S--> i must confess i could never have completed the above puzzle without my friends' trusty old book "under the bridge with dick'n'harry" (unabridged dictionary)
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| « Last Edit: Jun 28th, 2003, 12:24pm by TenaliRaman » |
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ThudnBlunder
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Re: Word ladders
« Reply #15 on: Jun 29th, 2003, 8:29am » |
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6)
BLACK
clack
click
chick
chink
chine
whine
WHITE
ø¤º°`°º¤ø
CELLO
cells
fells
felts
feats
flats
flits
flite
FLUTE
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| « Last Edit: Jun 29th, 2003, 8:54am by ThudnBlunder » |
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ThudnBlunder
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Re: Word ladders
« Reply #16 on: Jun 29th, 2003, 9:32am » |
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16) Change ROGUE into BEAST.
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TenaliRaman
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Re: Word ladders
« Reply #17 on: Jun 29th, 2003, 11:23am » |
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ROGUE --> vogue --> vague --> value --> valve --> halve --> helve --> heave --> leave --> lease --> least --> BEAST
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Sir Col
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Re: Word ladders
« Reply #18 on: Jun 29th, 2003, 11:47am » |
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Great solution, TenaliRaman. I learned a new word: HELVE (handle of a weapon or tool). Thanks.
I found a slightly shorter one, which does use some fairly obscure words:
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ROGUE
bogue (a type of European fish)
bogle (a goblin or other creature of fear)
boule (inlaid furniture decoration)
bouse (to pull/hoist with a tackle)
boose (stall or a crib for an animal)
boost
boast
BEAST
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otter
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Re: Word ladders
« Reply #19 on: Jun 30th, 2003, 5:54am » |
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on Jun 28th, 2003, 7:57am, tohuvabohu wrote:
8. good goad grad grid arid avid ovid (broadly elliptical) ovil (sheepfold) evil
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After several on-line dictinary searches, the only definition I can find for ovid refers to the Roman poet and, thus, is a proper name. Ovoid may be the word you were thinking of, but it doesn't fit the ladder.
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We shall not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started
and know the place for the first time.
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