Change a Letter Game

[NOTS3W]

MELT

What m&m's DONT do in your hand.

[Idontwantspam]

MALT

[NOTS3W]

This should open up a ton of words:

MALL

[Idontwantspam]

BALL

[Idontwantspam]

Y'ALL

(Is an apostrophe OK?)

[anonymous_user]

CALL

[Idontwantspam]

Don't FALL!

[anonymous_user]

FAIL

Edited August 26, 2007 by anonymous_user

[NOTS3W]

FORM FORK DORK DARK BARK PARK PART FART FAST VAST VASE BASE CASE CAST CART DART DARE CARE FARE MARE MALE TALE SALE SOLE SOLD MOLD TOLD GOLD FOLD FOLK FILK MILK MILE MALE MATE MAZE DAZE DOZE DONE NONE NOSE POSE POLE PORE MORE SORE SURE PURE PARE RARE RACE FACE FACT TACT PACT PAST FAST CAST CASE BASE VASE VISE VISA VESA VEST BEST JEST TEST TEAT MEAT NEAT SEAT SEAR FEAR NEAR DEAR BEER BEEP PEEP PEER LEER LEEK LEAK LEAP LEAN BEAN BEAD LEAD LOAD LORD CORD FORD WORD WOOD GOOD GOAD GLAD CLAD CLAP SLAP FLAP FLAT FLAX FLAY FLAB FLAK FLAW FLOW BLOW BLOT PLOT SLOT SLOP SLOB BLOB BLUB CLUB CLUE GLUE GLUG GLUM PLUM PLUG PLUS FLUS FLUX FLEX FLEE FLEE FREE FRET FRAT BRAT BRAN BRAG DRAG FRAG FRAY PRAY PREY TREY GREY GREW BREW CREW CROW BROW GROW GLOW GLOB SLOB SLAB STAB STAY STAR STAP STAG STOG STOP STEP STEW SHEW OHEW WHEW WHET WHEN THEN THAN THIN SHIN SHIP WHIP CHIP CLIP SLIP SLIM SLIT SLIK FLIK FLIP FLOP GLOP GOOP GOOF GOLF WOLF ROLF ROFF RUFF RIFF RIFT GIFT SIFT SILT SILK SULK HULK BULK BALK TALK WALK WALL WILL WELL WELT BELT BOLT BOLD HOLD HOLE DOLE DOLT COLT MOLT MELT MALT MALL BALL YALL CALL FALL FAIL

FOIL

[Mijzelf]

Reading all these words will BOIL my brain, I'm afraid.

[NOTS3W]

COIL

And with that, we have reached 225 words, 217 of which are unique, for a success rate of 96.44%

As Mijzelf pointed out back in post #145, there are 456,976 possible 4-letter combinations (a few less considering duplicate letters would cause some words to be counted twice in his calculation; COOL would be counted because of an O in the second position and again because of an O in the third position). Most of those combinations aren't words unless we include acronyms like IIII (the International Institute for Intelligence Inspection?) in which case everything is fair game. If we assume that only 1/10th of 1% of those combinations are actual words

"commonly used by English-speaking people"

then, believe it or not, we're not quite half way there yet.

So far, we've seen one new 4-letter combination (duplicates not withstanding) every 2.6 hours. At the current pace, we will arrive at the 457th word (0.1% of the 456,976 possible combinations) on September 21, 2007. On the other hand, again at the current rate, we will not reach the 456,976th word until December 10, 2143 which means that our children's children's children's children's children might finish this game but only if they live long enough! (BTW, 12/10/2143 = 12+1+0+2+1+4+3 = the number 23! Spooky, eh?)

Now, I'll go get a life.

Edited August 26, 2007 by NOTS3W

[Idontwantspam]

SOIL

[Mijzelf]

My SOUL hurst reading this:

As Mijzelf pointed out back in post #145, there are 456,976 possible 4-letter combinations (a few less considering duplicate letters would cause some words to be counted twice in his calculation; COOL would be counted because of an O in the second position and again because of an O in the third position)

A decimal 4 digit number has 10^4 = 10000 possible values, namely 0000 - 9999. No numbers are counted twice.

So a base-26 (Hexaduodecimal?) 4 digit number has 26^4 = 456976 possible values, no one counted twice. This could be AAAA - ZZZZ when A-Z are used to represent the base-26 digits.

[NOTS3W]

A decimal 4 digit number has 10^4 = 10000 possible values, namely 0000 - 9999. No numbers are counted twice.

So a base-26 (Hexaduodecimal?) 4 digit number has 26^4 = 456976 possible values, no one counted twice. This could be AAAA - ZZZZ when A-Z are used to represent the base-26 digits.

I believe you caught me in a FOUL. I was thinking in terms of the mechanics of putting the letters together into words and it seemed that some words would be counted twice. But you are absolutely right and I stand corrected.

FORM FORK DORK DARK BARK PARK PART FART FAST VAST VASE BASE CASE CAST CART DART DARE CARE FARE MARE MALE TALE SALE SOLE SOLD MOLD TOLD GOLD FOLD FOLK FILK MILK MILE MALE MATE MAZE DAZE DOZE DONE NONE NOSE POSE POLE PORE MORE SORE SURE PURE PARE RARE RACE FACE FACT TACT PACT PAST FAST CAST CASE BASE VASE VISE VISA VESA VEST BEST JEST TEST TEAT MEAT NEAT SEAT SEAR FEAR NEAR DEAR BEER BEEP PEEP PEER LEER LEEK LEAK LEAP LEAN BEAN BEAD LEAD LOAD LORD CORD FORD WORD WOOD GOOD GOAD GLAD CLAD CLAP SLAP FLAP FLAT FLAX FLAY FLAB FLAK FLAW FLOW BLOW BLOT PLOT SLOT SLOP SLOB BLOB BLUB CLUB CLUE GLUE GLUG GLUM PLUM PLUG PLUS FLUS FLUX FLEX FLEE FLEE FREE FRET FRAT BRAT BRAN BRAG DRAG FRAG FRAY PRAY PREY TREY GREY GREW BREW CREW CROW BROW GROW GLOW GLOB SLOB SLAB STAB STAY STAR STAP STAG STOG STOP STEP STEW SHEW OHEW WHEW WHET WHEN THEN THAN THIN SHIN SHIP WHIP CHIP CLIP SLIP SLIM SLIT SLIK FLIK FLIP FLOP GLOP GOOP GOOF GOLF WOLF ROLF ROFF RUFF RIFF RIFT GIFT SIFT SILT SILK SULK HULK BULK BALK TALK WALK WALL WILL WELL WELT BELT BOLT BOLD HOLD HOLE DOLE DOLT COLT MOLT MELT MALT MALL BALL YALL CALL FALL FAIL FOIL BOIL COIL SOIL SOUL FOUL

[Idontwantspam]

Ducks are water Fowl.