All you have to do is change a letter in the word to make a new word.
You can also add a letter or omit a letter. As long as we stick to changing just one letter at a time per word and the result is a real word.
start
stare
share
hare
harp
carp
camp
scamp
stamp
stump
prawn
;D ;D
Whoopsie, wrong game
glum
plus
plug
lug
lag
Flag
flan
Clan
clang
Cling
sling
sting
sing
sin
win
I'm even winning here!!!!!!!!!!!!
won
;D ;D
ton
tone
stone
stoned
stowed
towed
towel
bowel
rowel (Spinning part on a cowboy's spurs
vowel
vowed
owed
wed
weld
meld
Mold
mole
role
roll
doll
toll
troll
trill
thrill
shrill
shill (The friendly stranger that lures a sucker to the cardsharp's table.)
spill
Spell
:o :o :o :o
smell
smelt
spelt
pelt
pet
Pat
pate
late
ate
ante
ant
pant
part
pert
port
post
most
lost
cost
coast
toast
roast
roost
boost
boot
soot
foot
Fool
tool
toil
foil
foul
soul
sol
sot
Sit
site
rite
trite
tripe
gripe
grope
grape
rape
rage
cage
age
ale
pale
pile
pike
puke
puked
poked
pocked
poker
toker
token
taken
taker
talker
stalker
staller
stalled
stalked
stacked
tacked
ticked
picked
pickled
tickled
tickler
stickler
stickier
stockier
stocker
(the pimply kid who puts the cans of green beans on the grocery store shelves)
In England said pimply kid would be a
stacker
tacker
tackier
wackier
wacker
whacker
whicker
wicker
wicked
winked
inked
inned
inner
sinner
spinner
spinier
spanier (Who knew that was a word. :o)
spaniel
spancel
panel
(I know it is two letters, but this is looping)
panels
panes
planes
Plane
plate
late
latte
latter
platter
plaster
blaster
blasted
lasted
lusted
lustred
lustre
lustra
it's been days so two letters to
lust
last
blast
blat
bleat
beat
bear
beard
bard
board
hoard
hoary
I wanted to go with horny, but alas!
goary
goar
goad
toad
told
old
bold
bond
bone
lone
clone
close
closet
closest
closes
loses
lose
pose
pole
poke
puke
duke
dude
rude
crude
crud
crue
Rue
ruse
Rude
rule
mule
Yule
Yules
mules
miles
smiles
similes
simile
smile
smite
Mite
mitt
mutt
butt
bust
best
beast
breast
abreast
abreact
To stop a thread death and because I'm impatient and can't come up with anything else I will make
a
breach.
reach
beach
teach
Tech
teach
each
etch
fetch
ketch
sketch
spetch
speech
(Thanks for the new word, Cathy. Any day when you learn a new word isn't wasted.)
speach
peach
teach
each
leach
Bleach
beach
breach
breath
breathe
wreathe
wreath
wrath
wraith
been a couple days here so I'm dropping two letters
with
pith
pit
pet
pat
fat
fate
fame
fume
fuse
muse
must
mist
mint
mine
miner
miler
tiler
tiller
killer
killed
willed
wilted
wiled
wild
weld
wield
field
yield
wield
weld
meld
melt
Smelt
smell
small
stall
stale
steal
steam
team
tram
cram
cream
scream
stream
steam
... which is what we started the page with!
stem
Shem (One of Noah's sons.)
hem
her
here
hare
hard
shard
share
sharp
harp
hark
mark
mar
ma
mar
ma
man
deja vu
mat
tat
fat
cat
scat
scar
car
cart
art
fart
Dart
darn
yarn
yard
card
Car
care
dare
darn
earn
yearn
year
tear
rear
wear
near
neat
neap
reap
heap
heal
heel
feel
Peel
peal
pal
pall
mall
small
smell
swell
swill
skill
still
sill
(Like the one I trip over at my sister's house because I've become used to the low level sill in my own bungalow. How I ever survived leaping over leg-chopping blows from swords and other weapons in the showman's arena is a mystery.)
sell
seal
Teal
team
steam
steak
teak
beak
peak
perk
pork
fork
Dork
dark
ark
art
are
bare
barn
warn
war
bar
bark
park
perk
peak
speak
speck
peck
pack
lack
hack
hick
thick
tick
tock
stock
stuck
tuck
tack
Stack
stick
Sick
sic
think
I think Mark posted a note to himself that he needs to think about it.
Sit
pit
pita
pica
Quote from: Spell Chick on February 12, 2018, 09:39:14 PM
how did you get from sic to think?
Easy. Just ignore every post on page 28 up to that point and start instead from the last entry on page 27. A manoeuvre known as the hoffman-gambit.
pick
Dick
hick
Mick
wick
pick
pink
ink
sink
slink
stink
stank
stark
star
tar
tear
tea
ten
tent
Rent
rend
bend
bed
bead
bear
ear
era
err
Herr
herd
hard
ward
word
ford
fork
for
fore
bore
bone
hone
Home
homie
Pomie
pogie
bogie
Bowie
zowie
Zoie
Mole
Hole
hale
hake
shake
shaker
shakes
sakes
sake
snake
snare
Stare
spare
pare
pear
spear
spar
sear
seal
meal
peal
Real
ream
beam
bream
cream
dream
dread (judge for yourself if it needs the a)
dryad
Dryas
dry as
drays
rays
ray
may
my
me
men
met
meat
neat
feat
Feast
(Yay 50 posts )
Beast (from the east)
breast
Brest (France)
rest
wrest
West
wet
welt
pelt
pest
best
nest
lest
lost
post
pot
poet
pet
jet
jot
dote
d'hote
Thode
thole
(Been rowing, Joe?)
those
hose
whose
Chose
choose
I think you've stumped us all there, Gyppo! So can I take a small liberty and go with
moose
noose
nose
rose
ruse
rust
bust
burst
burnt
burns
turns
turn
tern
ten
tent
stent
stint
sting
swing
swig
swag
wag
hag
bag
brag
bran
brain
grain
rain
raid
maid
mad
cad
card
cord
card
cart
caret
carat
karat
kart
mart
mat
cat
Probably the one which sat on the mat.
I wonder if people's entire education would be warped, or at least re-directed, if infant school learning had indoctrinated them with 'the cat located itself in a semi-upright and undoubtedly alert position on the synthetically piled less than wall-to-wall floor covering'.
cast
fast
fart
farm
harm
hare
harem
hares
share
Shire (As in Hamp or Horse, your choice.)
hire
wire
Wine
Whine
while
wile
wife
life
lift
lilt
Tilt
tile
time
timer
mimer
Miner
Winer
Wine
fine
Fin
Sin
Sine
dine
Ding
Dang
Dong
pong
Tong
thong
thing
thin
tin
fin
find
fund
Fun
Bun
pun
Hun
hum
Bum
bump
damp
tong
song
Did we suddenly go to change two letters?
;D ;D
That's a whole word
Just one letter pup lol
son
sin
sing
swing
sting
sling
slang
slant
plant
pant
paint
taint
saint
ain't
ant
rant
raft
daft
deft
left
weft
west
vest
pest
past
mast
mist
miso
miss
hiss
piss
pass
Lass
last
past
pasty
pastry
pantry
panfry
panary
canary
tanary
lanary
enough time has gone by to kick start this
land
lend
blend
bend
bed
bet
beat
beast
Breast
Brest (A town in Brittany.) Source of much British schoolboy humour. 'Typical French, calling a place tit. Especially when they can't even spell it properly.'
rest
nest
net
pet
pert
part
Art
fart
far
farm
arm
warm
war
bar
bard
barn
yarn
yard
hard
hare
harp
sharp
shard
hard
hoard
board
beard
bard
bar
far
fair
flair
lair
air
pair
pain
gain
fain
fail
fall
falls
calls
call
wall
wail
sail
bail
boil
oil
foil
foal
goal
gaol
gall
gale
Ale
Alec
ales
sales
sale
tale
stale
stole
style
stile
smile :)
mile
mill
will
Wile
vile
vice
rice
trice
tripe
trip
strip
strap
satrap
satram
A slight cheat in order to reboot? Changing a letter and moving the rest around.
traumas
trauma
tram
just because
cram
ram
rum
rump
Trump
thump
thumb
rhumb
rumb
dumb
dump
damp
Dame
Lame
lama
Lamb
limb
limbo
limbs
lambs
labs
Laos
lass
glass
class
clasp
clamp
camp
lamp
limp
blimp
blip
Lip
flip
flop
flow
low
Slow
slew
stew
strew
straw
strap
trap
trip
thrip
Thrips
trips
Strips
strops (Like Sweeney Todd stropping his razor.)
Stops
steps
step
skep
skip
skid
skim
Slim
Shim
shin
shun
hun
hunt
shunt
stunt
stun
spun
spud
sud
bud
Bid
bird
bard
hard
hark
lark
lurk
lure
lore
lyre
tyre
tire
tired
mired
fired
filed
fled
bled
bed
bad
cad
cod
sod
sad
mad
mar
mare
more
Morse
horse (OK, so nobody's surprised...)
hose
dose
Dosed
dowsed
drowsed
browsed
browse
brows
blows
glows
grows
growl
prowl
prow
plow
plod
prod
pro
pry
wry
way
sway
swan
wan
win
twin
thin
thine
whine
chine
chime
clime
(Archaic, but...)
climb
limb
lime
(and now "put the lime in the coconut" is dancing through my brain)
like
lake
fake
fate
gate
game
gam
ham
hum
hub
cub
cube
cute
cut
scut (rabbit's tail)
scute - an armadillo's protective plate
shute
chute
Cute
cure
pure
pore
port
pot
opt
top
stop
stope
tope
tore
pore
pare
pear
sear
spear
spare
scare
scale
scald
scold
cold (A distant memory these last few weeks.)
colt (A distant memory these last seventeen years, says Leo!)
bolt
fold
hold
holed
holes
holts
halts
hats
shat (Rural English, past tense.)
that
twat
tat
rat
art
mart
fart
fort
fore
fare
mare
mane
lane
lone
tone
gone
bone
done
dome
home
hope
hype
type
tyre
pyre
pyrex
pyres
pores
pares
tares (biblical weeds)
takes
fakes
fades
Hades
hides
rides
tides
tidies
tidier
tidied
In the interest of jump starting the game, I'm changing two letters.
died
did
fid (A wooden marlin spike, used in ropework.).
fix
six
sic
sick
slick
slice
Splice
spice
space
pace
pack
tack
stack
stalk
Stall
stale
state
estate
gestate
testate
adj
(Law) having left a legally valid will at death
(I figured it had to exist as the opposite of intestate, but I looked it up to be sure.)
restate
restage
restaged
restages
I'm stumped, Fly. If I can change two letters, I'll propose
presages
But if anyone can do better, please do.
presage
presale
prevale
(Formal second-person singular (usted) present indicative form of prevaler.)
(And that you can hear is the sound of a barrel being scraped! Not surprised - I'm pretty desperate too.)
prevalue
If it isn't a word, it should be - to make a prior estimate of worth - cf revalue, to make a subsequent estimate of worth. Or if that isn't acceptable, we need another fudge.
My I suggest we stop scraping the barrel. Splinters under the fingernails play merry hell with your typing ;-) Feel free ignore this suggestion if you have your own secret stash of Scrabble type words which are never used by normal people - or even writers - but otherwise let's move on, like a beaver chomping through the wrong log and collapsing the whole dam.
But, to ensure some semblance of continuity and coherence to satisfy our scribbler's souls, let's take a word from Jo's post and run with it.
fudge
judge
Jude (The obscure)
rude
(ps: thanks for rescuing us, Gyppo)
ruse
fuse
fuss
muss
mass
pass
past
pats
parts
pares
spares
sparks
spark
park
hark
harp
carp
camp
amp
damp
damn
dam
ham
him
shim
shit (You were all tempted, but I've saved you from writing it.)
sit
pit
pith
path
patch
batch
catch
hatch
hath
hat
hot
hod
(For anyone unfamiliar with a hod...)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np8iLIt7G0A
pod
sod
sad
mad
maid
paid
said
aid
aim
air
hair
pair
fair
fail
hail
heil
shell
swell
(Looks as if Laura read heil as hell on the previous page, but let's just go with the flow and change swell to....
spell
spelt
pelt
belt
bolt
(And having shot mine I'm now off to bed.)
colt
cold
col
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Col
cool
fool
foal
coal
goal
gaol
gal
gall
call
calf
half
hale
whale
edible
Quote from: Firefly on September 02, 2018, 06:25:55 AM
edible
Uh..dincha change a whole bunch of letters there?
I think she thought she was in a different thread.
shale
shall
shalt (Archaic, but I like it.)
halt
alt
malt
salt
slat
sat
shat
swat
spat
I considered swapping that 'S' for a 'T' but it didn't seem comely. :o ;D
spate
(A lot of Cornwall's rivers are spate rivers. Either a shallow meandering trickle or a surging torrent according to the season. Which is why they often have deep cut banks, and shingle islands which are swept away in the flood surge and slowly reform again. In a prolonged drought they often get covered in lush vegetation whilst the fields either side are turning brown, but this is never enough to hold them together when the floods come.)
skate
slate
late
pate
pane
cane
care
carp
carpe
carne
(As in chilli con carne)
cane
cape
caper
cager
pager
page
wage
mage
sage
sag
stag
shag
hag
hat
shat
shot
shoot
scoot
soot
boot
booth
tooth
toot
tot
Tote
rote
route
rout
tout
tut
(Usually found in pairs but sometimes a single one is enough to indicate displeasure/annoyance.)
tat
tan
tin
tine
tone
stone
stoner
stoned
toned
tuned
turned
burned
burner
turner
tuner
toner
tone
tune
rune (woooooooo)
(wooooo) a rune tune
Rule
rude
rode
node
mode
mole
hole
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAzQ7Pn0Bbc
Ha, ha, ha! Love it Gyppo! If I ever teach another kid's class, I'm adding that one to the kid's musical repertoire.
pole
poll
pull
mull
bull
bill
pill
spill
skill
kill
kiln
kilo
kilt
lilt
silt
silk
sulk
sunk
hunk
chunk
clunk
clank
blank
lank
plank
plant
plane
pane
panel
panes
lanes
planes
plans
plants
pants
paints
saints
saint
taint
tint
pint
point
joint
(I was just thinking that a rolled bacon joint would give a veggie pothead nightmares.)
;D ;D
join
Quote from: Gyppo on September 18, 2018, 09:02:45 PM
joint
(I was just thinking that a rolled bacon joint would give a veggie pothead nightmares.)
Veggie pothead conjured up an image of vegan stoner with a pot on his head. No vegetarian pothead would smoke bacon. :P
John
Joan
(Pot on the head reminds me of when ladies wore flowerpot hats, so called because of the shape. Maria, our village eccentric who'd survived the Nazi concentration camps and had every reason to be a bit strange, made her own from a proper terracotta pot covered with fabric.)
moan
roan
groan
grain <- Is that cheating?
Yep
grand
grind
rind
rand
and
end
bend
Gumby
Just what game do you think you're playing, Young Lady?
Bend to gumby by only changing one letter? In fact you've only retained one letter.
Please say thesaurus fifteen times quickly as a forfeit and then try again ;-)
;D ;D ;D
I see we are still waiting for Deb to get back
maybe she went to
bed
bead
lead
led
red
reed
Quote from: Gyppo on September 24, 2018, 09:43:40 AM
Just what game do you think you're playing, Young Lady?
Bend to gumby by only changing one letter? In fact you've only retained one letter.
Please say thesaurus fifteen times quickly as a forfeit and then try again ;-)
;D ;D ;D ;D Clearly, my wires were crossed. :o Sorry folks. ;D ;D ;D
And here I thought I had the perfect word association. ??? ;)
dead
deal
meal
mead
meat
meet
meek
peek
seek
leek
sleek
sleet
Avoiding the obvious one ... skeet
sweet
Tweet
tweed
Twee
tee
tea
pea
peat
pelt
belt
beet
feet
fleet
flee
flea
lea
leaf
deaf
Dear
Dean
Mean
man
Mad
Ma
ha
ta
Da
a
I
Pi
pie
tie
tit
tin
pin
pint
pine
wine
swine
stine
stink
sink
sin
spin
skin
sin
Sink
pink
Punk
sunk
hunk
bunk
bonk
honk
Hunk
hunt
Punt
putt
Puts
putz
Put
cut
cult
colt
dolt
doll
droll
troll
roll
toll
tool (no offence intended)
fool
foo
loo
too
toot
coot
scoot
scoop
coop
poop
plop
Lop
clop
clap
clamp
clam
glam
glum
gum
gut
git
grit
grim
grin
gran
grand
rand (Either the currency or Mary the athlete.)
brand
band
Bland
Blind
bling
sling
sing
song
long
log
blog
flog
floe
aloe
alone
lone
lore
gore
fore
Fort
foot
toot
Root
roost
roast
toast
coast
coat
cat
cast
caste
Baste
paste
taste
Tase (As in zapping someone with a Taser.)
taser ;D
Laser
loser
poser
pores (see what I did there?)
anagrams!!!
ores
Which this is not :o
ore
roe
Quote from: Laura on October 23, 2018, 01:06:03 AM
pores (see what I did there?)
Yes, I was watching. Difficult to play this game without ;-)
row
Crow
craw
crawl
scrawl
scrawn
Scran
Northern English slang for food.
Scram
Scam
Southern English for the price of food in London.
Spam
span
Pan
pant
rant
cant
scant
scan
span
spar
spark
park
Ark
mark
Park
dark
dirk
dork
fork
form
foam
loam
load
toad
tad
Mad
mud
mum
Bum
bun
burn
turn
tern
term
perm
germ
Gem
get
vet
pet
pen
pent
spent
spend
open'd
opened
opined
pined
pine
pike
spike
spine
spin
sin
In
I
it
kit
skit
ski
skin
kin
Kip
lip
clip
chip
chop
shop
ship
skip
skid
Ski
ki
I
it
fit
fig
dig
dug
fug
rug
mug
mu
(et) tu (brutus)
tun
tune
tuna
Tina
tine
pine
pint
hint
Hunt
hung
hang
bang
rang
ring
rink
brink
brick
crick
crack
track
trick
trice
rice
race
rake
make
mare
mar
mart
tart
tort
sort
sore
spore
pore
core
cope
lope
slope
slop
plop
pop
pope
rope
nope
Snope
snipe
sniper
snipper
nipper
ripper
zipper
hipper
kipper
skipper
skipped
kipped
pipped
Piped
wiped
wined
(As in "I wined and dined a gorgeous girl before she went into the Gents and I realised she was an absent-minded transvestite.)
whined (As in the Wifie theme tune.)
whiner
shiner
shine
sine
sin
win
I should go do that.
In
(I should go to be and let you do that)
on
ton
torn
worn
warn
warm
warp
carp
care
scare
share
spare
sparse
parse
arse
are
care
card
cord
core
wore
worse
worst
wort
worth
north
(go) forth
fort
fart (One of those glorious onomatopoeic words, which sounds rather like the sound they are describing.)
;D
fast
last
blast
Blest
lest
less
mess
messy
missy
miss
kiss :-*
piss
pass
past
part
art
fart
far
fair
air
lair
laid
plaid
plait
plain
plan
plank
blank
bland
blend
bleed
lend
land
band
brand
rand (currency)
rind
Hind
(Reminds me of Prince Charles singing one of The Beach Boys' Songs,
"One gets a rind, rind, rind,
one gets a rind.
Oh yes."
kind
kine
(Old English for cattle, sometimes still heard in rural areas.)
wine
wire
wired
sired
fired
tired
tires
tyres
tyre
pyre
pore
porn
port
wort
Wart
lart
It's an IT term from the good old days and means: baseball bat. It stands for loser (AKA user) attitude readjustment tool. These days we are not supposed to beat the stupidity out of users. Shame really. Thank god sarcasm has not yet been made illegal else there be no fun left in being an IT genius.
art
Told kid in computer class it was a PEBKAC error and he wanted to know if it could be fixed. I shrugged. He wanted to know what it was. Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair. He looked at the situation and said, "That's me." I nodded.
arc
ark
(I wonder if the original biblical scribe agonised for hours over whether or not Noah had a properly developed 'Character's ark'.)
bark
hark
shark
sharp
share
snare (found one in Gyppo's pocket).
spare (in the other pocket)
Pare
part
mart
smart
smarm
Marm
arm
farm
farl
(Quadrant shaped servings of Irish soda bread, or potato farls.)
furl
hurl
curl
cull
hull
hulk
sulk
silk
silt
tilt
wilt
kilt
kit
pit
spit
split
slit
slut
shut
shat (past tense, still commonly used in some rural communities.)
spat
spate
spite
sprite
spritz
Ritz
rite
mite
smite
skite
kite
kit
git
fit
flit
flat
fat
fate
mate
made
Mad
maid
raid
rapid
vapid
valid
valis
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VALIS)
Vales
valves
salves
salvos
Salvo
solve :P
solved
soled
soiled
spoiled
spoiler
toiler
Yeah, that was two letters, but you'll give it to me for Christmas?
toilet
toiled
tolled
polled
pilled
piled
pile
pike
hike
hive
jive
give
gave
game
fame
fume
fuge
huge
hug
bug
bung
bunk
dunk
drunk
trunk
thunk
(The sound Alma's remote control car made when she accidentally drove it off the edge of the table. She got impatient waiting for her mechanic (Grandad was on tea break) to do it's MOT test, and flicked the switch to rev the engine, with some story about it making a funny noise.)
Fortunately it fell into a box of 'stuff' which broke the fall.
think
thine
tine
tin
in
I
is
his
this
thus
thud
thuds
thugs
hugs
hug
hag
sag
sage
Rage
wage
wags
wigs
Twigs
twig
swig
swag
shag
(Which is variously a seabird, a dance in America, or a mutual writhing activity in many languages. A 'shag-pile' on a carpet is open to local interpretation.)
Shags.
(Cormorant. I can never tell those two apart)
hags
hams
has
Hash
dash
wash
wish
wisp
wasp
wasps
asps
gasps
gasp
rasp
rap
crap
cap
caw
raw
craw
cram
dram
dream
ream
bream
beam
ream
team
tame
time
Lime
line
tine
thine
chine
(Hull shape on some boats)
chin
china
hina
hind
find
fend
rend
rind
kind
kink
rink
ring
bring
bling
blind
blink
link
lunk
luck
that is so tempting
duck
dock
cock
clock
cloak
coak
oak
oar
oaf
loaf
loam
foam
roam
Rom (Either the sort in your computer, or the other sort that sometimes camps in places he/she probably shouldn't according to modern laws.
Rome
dome
done
cone
clone
lone
line
line
lime
dime
Quote from: DGSquared on January 10, 2019, 07:20:23 AM
line
Quote from: Gyppo on January 10, 2019, 08:24:08 AM
line
Hey, it's like we were reading each other's minds. Either that or that pesky, invisible, letter, "s" got in the way or snuck in, as it were. ;) ;D :-*
Okay, back to,
DIME.
dire
mire
mile
smile
stile
still
stall
small
mall
ball
bell
bill
bile
pile
Pill
spill
skill
kill
kiln
kilt
silt
salt
malt
molt
colt
bolt
boll
boil
bail
rail
fail
jail
nail
nil
nit
nut
nuts
cuts
cut
cunt
count
county
country
counter
mounter
munter
hunter
punter
punker
junker
junked
bunked
banked
blanked
blanket
blanker
banker
baker
baler
=====
Reminds me...
My ex married a farmworker. She was very good at having his dinner ready on time when he came in. Then one night he was half an hour late, and dinner was 'utterly spoiled' where she'd shoved it back in the Rayburn to keep it warm She gave him grief.
"Well, there was a reason, Love."
"It had better be a damned good reason."
"It was. Roland's just had a new roll-baler delivered so we all had to go and play with it for a while."
;D ;D
Fair enough Gyp
Bale
vale
vile
bile
bill
will
wilt
tilt
tile
toile
Voile
vole
pole
pale
pall
all
alt
malt
mall
mail
hail
Bail
boil
foil
fail
ail
all
awl
bawl
cawl
Cowl
cow
"Cor!"
or
ore
core
chore
chose
chosen
cosen
coven
(You know all about those, FF)
cover
( Oh I do High Priestess) >:D
cower
(you do scare me sometimes, you know)
tower
(my uncanny intuition isn't it)
toner
stoner
stone
tone
tole
toll
poll
pole
pile
pike
spike
spire
sire
dire
dare
fare
fart
fact
tact
tract
track
Truck
struck
stuck
stick
stock
tock
took
Tool
toil
foil
(Not as much fun as an epee or sabre.)
boil
bowl
owl
own
owe
=====
"I owe, I owe, so off to work I go."
===
;D ;D
one
ode
code
cod
mod
mad
Maid
said
Paid
pad
pan
pen
(For those keyboard warriors who find this an unfamiliar word a pen is an ancient writing implement, directed with subtle micro-movements of the fingers and wrist and periodically relocated on the page by using the muscles of the forearm.)
pent
gent
rent
rant
runt
punt
pun
Fun
bun
burn
born
boon
boot
loot
loo
poo
poop
pool
tool
toll
moll
Mole
hole
shole
sole
sold
hold
held
Weld
welt
belt
bent
beet
beat
feat
feet
fleet
sleet
sheet
sheer
shear
sear
ear
fear
feat
heat
hat
hit
hilt
silt
salt
alt
malt
mat
math
meth
myth
moth
mouth
couth
(The rarely used positive of which uncouth is the more commonly used opposite.)
couch
cough
lough
laugh
faugh
gaugh
gauge
gouge
rouge
rouged
roughed
rougher
tougher
toughen
roughen
roughed
soughed
soughe
souche
Douche
Douched
touched
torched
Torches
torche
torch
torc (A decorative neck ring.)
torn
ton
con
cone
crone
crane
cane
cape
ape
axe
axle
ale
All
ally
tally
telly
Belly
belay
delay
relay
relax
rewax
refax
and emerging like a phoenix from this hell
real
Three cheers for the Phoenix, born from fire and self destruction.
deal
dear
tear
teal
tale
talc
talk
walk
wank
wink
wind
wine
mine
mime
time
tame
tome
dome
done
gone
one
once
ponce
pounce
ounce
dunce
dance
dancer
Lancer
Lander
wander
wanker wonder
(The question was never whether, only who.)
ponder
Now you know you can count on me. ;D
yonder
fonder
founder
flounder
flounders
founders
funders
finders
fingers
lingers
linger
longer
longed
lunged
lunge
lounge
lounges
loungers
lounger
longer
lunger
plunger
plunge
plunged
lunged
longed
ponged
pinged
pinned
binned
banned
canned
caned
cared
bared
bard
bark
ark
mark
lark
lurk
lure
sure
pure
purl (as in knitting)
curl
curd
card
ward
warm
worm
worn
torn
born
barn
bar
bear
beard
heard
hard
hare
dare
darn
dart
dirt
diet
died
dried
fried
cried
tried
tired
wired
weird
weir
heir
hair
pair
par
pa
spa
spar
spear
pear
pare
park
perk
jerk
jerky
jerry
merry
marry
carry
curry
Hurry
furry
fury
fur
cur
curt
hurt
hart
hard
harm
charm
chart
chert
cert
cart
dart
dare
darn
yarn
barn
born
corn
corny
horny
horns
shorn
short
snort
snore
sore
sire
sired
Tired
timed
timid
tumid
humid
I think you've stymied us there, Fly. So can I change two letters and offer
humped
thumped
trumped
tramped
ramped
camped
comped
coped
copped
copper
hopper
shopper
shoppe
shopped
slopped
lopped
lapped
tapped
taped
tape
taps
tap
trap
strap
strip
trip
tripe
tribe
bribe
bride
ride
rode
ode
mode
mod
mold
mould
would
could
cold
old
fold
ford
fjord
great word, but only way to go is plural, singular, and then we are just stuck.
form
farm
far
bar
bag
brag
bray
bay
ban
fan
flan
flank
blank
black
lack
lock
clock
cluck
clunk
chunk
hunk
junk
sunk
skunk
skink
slink
stink
sink
sank
sang
song
gong
gone
hone
shone
shine
shite
spite
spine
opine
pine
pink
mink
mind
mint
Change a letter or change a life?
https://bestwritingforum.com/index.php/topic,1070.0.html
mitt
mite
smite
smile
mile
milk
milt (fish sperm)
malt
halt
half
calf
call
caul
haul
hall
shall
shale
stale
tale
talk
stalk
stack
shack
shock
shook
Snook (A species of fish.)
spook
(Thanks for the definition, Gyppo. Maybe we should all do that with our more erudite words?)
stook
(Jo, it would do no harm and if it tempts people to look it up it then it becomes another usable word in their 'deep vocabulary', the words which rarely surface in everyday use but are stored in the memory bank.)
stock
stick
slick
slice
slide
slid
lid
led
lee
flee
fleet
sleet
sleek
leeks
leaks
peaks
perks
parks
sparks
sharks
shirks
Shirts
skirts
skirt
skit
kit
sit
spit
split
slit
slat
slate
slater
(Could be one who lays slates for a roof, or could be a local nickname for a woodlouse, those miniature armadillos which live underneath the bark of rotting logs and curl up into a tiny ball when threatened. Also known as chisel-pigs.)
later
Late
fate
fade
fake
flake
flame
Frame
framed
farmed
farmer
warmer
warder
warden
harden
garden
gander
(okay, I moved TWO letters ::) )
Off with her head!!
grander
grinder
grinner
grinned
grinder
grander
Gander
wander
wanker
hanker
banker
tanker
tinker
thinker
thinner
thinned
tinned
Pinned
pined
opined
opine
ovine - pertaining to sheep
bovine
Been a bit stuck for a while, lets reset this sucker
Low
blow
blob
slob
slab
slap
flap
flip
clip
chip
chap
cheap
cheep
cheek
creek
reek
meek
meet
mete
mate
mite
mitre
litre
lire
tire
tore
store
stove
stole
stolen
stollen
swollen (and if you eat enough stollen you will be)
I think Mark's got us beat. Can I change two letters and have
swilled
?
spilled
stilled
tilled
tiled
tiler
toiler
boiler
bailer
bailed
jailed
failed
sailed
soiled
coiled
oiled
foiled
filed
Filled
tilled
tiller
killer
kilter (balance)
filter
fitter
fatter
flatter
flatten
latten
(https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/latten)
batten
batter
bather
lather
slather ;)
slither
slithery
slithers
slithery
So we go from slithery to slithers and back to slithery again?
I guess I'll just go back to slither then. :-\
slither
lithe
Good call, Chick
Lathe
latte
latter
later
slater
skater
skated
sated
salted
salter
psalter
palter
alter
after
rafter
rafted
wafted
wasted
washed
mashed
smashed
smashes
sashes
gashes
ashes
washes
washed
wished
fished
Fishes
Dishes
dashes
lashes
lasses
passes
passer
passe
parse
purse
pure
purl (as in knitting)
curl
hurl
hull
hulk
bulk
bull
null
Nell
fell
felt
pelt
melt
smelt
Spelt
spell
swell
well
will
wile
(I had to check to see if a singular wile existed as a word, because I've only ever seen them collectively, as cunning wiles. Yes, it's legitimate.)
wife
displaying her one womanly wile hahaha
wire
dire
dirt
dart
Art
cart
carp
Car
tar
Tart
fart
farts
arts
arcs
arc
arm
warm
swarm
swarf - the tiny metal filings that gather under the benches in any machine shop
dwarf
warf
barf
bare
barge
large
larger
lager
luger (One who rides a luge.)
lugger
bugger
burger
burgee
Nautical. A triangular or swallow-tailed flag flown from the mast of a merchant ship for identification and from the mast of a yacht to indicate its owner's membership of a particular yacht club.
bargee
barged
barked
basked
basket
casket
casked
caked
baked
baker
maker
Saker
A large species of falcon. Link below if anyone's interested.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saker_falcon
shaker
shaken
shaven
haven
have
halve
salve
Save
have
hate
rate
raze
race
Dace
(A very silvery species of freshwater fish.)
dame
fame
frame
flame
lame
lamb
limb
limbo
limbs
climbs
climes
limes
times
mimes
miles
males
gales
ales
apes
capes
cares
scares
scars
sears
wears
swear
wear
war
wad
cad
cod
clod
clot
cloth
sloth
slot
spot
sot
snot
shot
shut
shunt
shan't
chant
cant (This is cant as in a private/secret language, such as thieves' or gypsies' cant, and not an accidentally unaccented can't.)
want
because the other word I thought of would make this an adult warning thread
went
wet
west
vest
vast
vase
case
caste
waste
haste
paste
piste
Well, if you're all defeated by piste, let's try
ski
skip
ship
chip
hip
hop
sop
sap
sag
sage
rage
raze
maze
mane
pane
plane
planet
plant
slant
slat
slate
spate
pate
gate
grate
great
greet
reet (If Yorkshire dialect is acceptable.)
Of course it isn't, Gyppo - the site operates in English! However...
feet
fleet
sleet
sheet
sheep
sleep
seep
steep
step
stem
stet
set
bet
get
got
hot!
hoot
soot
scoot
Scot
snot
shot
spot
sport
short
shore
shove
shovel
hovel
novel
Noel
Nobel
Nobee
(Nobee, is a variant form of the English Noble. Nobee, is uncommon as a baby name for boys.) Hand to heart, that's what it says in the, BabyNamesPedia.
this has languished long enough
start
Quote from: Spell Chick on July 26, 2019, 12:21:46 PM
this has languished long enough
start
Oops. Sorry for being the thread killer there.
I was sure it would go from Nobee to nober to Gober, to goober ... but okay.
start to ...
Tart
what the hell is a nober??
art
Quote from: Spell Chick on July 26, 2019, 11:43:04 PM
what the hell is a nober??
art
Take your pick.
https://www.definitions.net/definition/Nober (https://www.definitions.net/definition/Nober) :P ;D ;D ;D
fart
cart
art
act
pact
fact
fat
fate
pate
spate
spade
spare
scare
scared
stared
staved
saved
paved
paver
raver
racer
race
lace
laze
haze
gaze
game
tame
tome
tomb
bomb
comb
womb
wombs
tombs
tomes
homes
comes
cones
canes
panes
planes
planet
planer (Woodworking machine)
planner (the person who plans where to site the planer.)
planter
planted
panted
painted
pained
gained
gainer (A gainer is the acrobatic trick of performing a backwards somersault while still moving forward. )
grainer (An infusion of pigeon's dung used by tanners to neutralize the effects of lime and give flexibility to skins. Though I'm sure you knew that.)
;D ;D
grained
Rained (yesterday)
brained
trained
trainer
strainer
Strained
sprained
seems like we got to the point of too many letters again.
how about
sprain
Spain
pain
pin
sin
in
win
wan
want
wane
wart
wort
sort
sport
spore
shore
share
Hare
hear
gear
gar
garb
barb
bare
bore
born
boon
boom
bloom
blood
Flood
floor
flour
four
fur
fir
sir
sic
sip
tip
tin
Tint
Bint
bunt
punt
pint
paint
taint
saint
faint
fain (Archaic, meaning gladly, happily. eg, "I would fain be transported back to my childhood home.)
pain
gain
Grain
rain (or sodding rain as it is known round here)
ran
pan (to catch the rain if you have a leaky roof)
pin
sin
sine (sorry to go off at a tangent, but ...)
spine
swine
swipe
Wipe
wise
Quote from: Mark Hoffmann on September 07, 2019, 08:06:46 AM
sine (sorry to go off at a tangent, but ...)
A tangent or an angle? ;D
Wine
Pine
(Mark's sine could have been a wave.)
find
fond
frond (I love that word, not the meaning, just the sound of it as it rolls off your tongue)
FRAND "Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory" There are no rules that say you cannot use an acronym. If there is, I just broke it. :P
DARN
(cheated slightly - dropped a letter AND changed them around :( )
Tarn
tar
tor
or
of
off
Toff
doff
duff
ruff
riff
tiff (a mild argument)
Stiff
staff
stuff
sluff (Alternative, albeit questionable, spelling of slough)
fluff
bluff
buff
puff
muff
cuff
tuff
stuff
staff
Taff (I Googled it)
Taft
daft
draft
raft
aft
Daft
dart
lart
lard
lord
lore
lure
Lurk
murk
muck
puck
pluck
cluck
luck
lock
lick
Click
flick
Lick
lice
lace
glace
grace
race
rack
back
jack
sack
sank
sunk
skunk
skank
stank
tank
talk
stalk
stall
still
spill
pill
Pile
mile
mill
MILF
Milo
Lilo
limp
lime
slime
shim
swim
swam
scam
scat (Old English, and still Cornish, for excrement. You still occasionally hear things like "He was so scared he had scat running down his leg." Or, "He's so stupid it do take he half an hour or more to know he's scat his pants."
scat is still used in rural England beyond Cornwall but only in relation to wild animal shit. You still hear things like: Sally, taste that scat and see if it's fox or badger.
cat
hat
(Poor Sally.)
that
(did I not mention Sally is a dog?)
than
(Poor dog.)
tan
tank
Bank
bunk
hunk as in Thor
Chunk
chink
clink
clank
clan
flan
flank
lank
bank
ban
an
and
I just realized I've passed 3000 posts. I feel like I've accomplished something, which reminds me, what happened to the Poetry Challenge?
sand
Congrats, Deb. And probably the same thing happened to the poetry challenge that's happened to the flash.
stand
stank
spank
spark
park
ark
arc
arch
March
larch
parch
perch
peach
Quote from: Mark Hoffmann on October 11, 2019, 12:49:59 PM
peach
Really tempted to cheat and add
two letters to that one...
each
ache
ace
face
fact
tact
tract
trace
trice
trick
rick
rich
rice
trice
truce
truck
track
trick
prick
price
rice
race
rate
crate
crater
crated
rated
rate
rite
ride
rive
=====
To split or tear apart. Example. Riven timbers used for fencing or making hurdles may be 'started' with an axe or bill hook, but they are riven along the natural lines of the grain. Occasionally you'll get a pole which just won't co-operate, but Ash and Hazel are normally obliging.
===
Also, as it's a writing forum, Riven Rock by T.C. Boyle.
five
fire
sire
mire
ire
tire
time
tome
Rome
crome
come
comet
cometh
comets
covets
coverts
Converts
convert
concert
Concern
concerns
concerts
converts
convents
plume
Quote from: hoffmad08 on November 06, 2019, 09:02:31 PM
plume
Welcome. This is lovely, but doesn't really follow the rules of the game. I'm guessing you answered form a page other than the last one. However, we were caught in word hell and I think I'm just going to go with this.
plum
plus
lust
This isn't cheating, right?
lusty
busty
busy
bus
pus
Quote from: Mark Hoffmann on November 06, 2019, 07:10:54 PM
convents
Quote from: Spell Chick on November 06, 2019, 11:11:30 PM
Quote from: hoffmad08 on November 06, 2019, 09:02:31 PM
plume
Welcome. This is lovely, but doesn't really follow the rules of the game. I'm guessing you answered form a page other than the last one. However, we were caught in word hell and I think I'm just going to go with this.
plum
I loved this.
new word:
Put
hut
hat
Good morning, Gyppo. :)
hate
(Morning, Deb. Having a fidgety night, so have got up for a drink at 5 AM, but may not be around for all that long. But right now sleep is not an option.)
Late
It's 9:11 Pm November 7th here. I'm just winding down from the day.
extreme
(I had a fun evening 'making stuff' with my Grandaughter, a phone chat with my younger daughter and then some quiet time with my keyboard. Went to bed expecting to be 'out like a light', but it didn't happen. As soon as I put the light out I was wide awake again.)
Quote from: Gyppo on November 08, 2019, 05:28:52 AM
extreme
(I had a fun evening 'making stuff' with my Grandaughter, a phone chat with my younger daughter and then some quiet time with my keyboard. Went to bed expecting to be 'out like a light', but it didn't happen. As soon as I put the light out I was wide awake again.)
I think you're in the wrong topic, Gyppo.
So... late --> later
latter
fatter
fitter
litter
hitter
hotter
shotter
(The man who plants the charges for blasting in a quarry.)
shatter
(The man who stood too close to the charges in the quarry when they went off.)
Hatter
(the shatter guy probably won't need his services)
chatter
chatted
charted
charred
chaired
haired
paired
pared
pored
poured
soured
scoured
scored
score
scorn
shorn
horn
torn
tern
stern
Sterno
stereo
Thereo (https://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/theoreo.html)
There
theme
them
hem
hum
hump
sump
stump
slump
lump
rump
frump
flump
flume
fume
fuse
fuss
suss
huss (A larger relation to the dogfish.)
husk
tusk
rusk
rust
bust
must
mast
cast
caste
chaste
haste
baste
paste
waste
waster
water
pater
pate
spate
spite
spine
pine
pined (for the fjords)
pinned
sinned
sinner
dinner
(My Grandaughter's a 'dinner', she makes one hell of a din on occasions.)
diner
Finer
(...Nothing could be finer,
than dinner in the diner...)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzHIn5S-RbY
Even back then people had to spoil an otherwise decent tune by prancing around like a bunch of lunatics.
finger
linger
Longer
lunger
hunger
hanger
banger
banged
bagged
blagged
lagged
legged
begged
bogged
bugged
bugger
bigger
jigger
jogger
logger
lugger
("Once aboard the lugger and the girl is mine.")
slugger
slogger
blogger
bogger
bigger
bagger
badger
badder
balder
alder
elder
welder
wilder
milder
miller
killer
tiller
taller
tallet
English dialect for hayloft or attic. The space immediately below a pitched roof.
mallet
mullet
pullet
pulled
mulled (trying to decide if you want a glass of warm wine)
culled
sculled
sculked
sculker (if sculked is allowed for skulked then mine must be ok)
sulker
sucker
pucker
phucker (someone from Phuket in Thailand)
plucker
plucked
"Hes not the pheasant plucker,
he's the pheasant plucker's son.
He's only plucking pheasants
until the pheasant plucker comes."
There were kids at school scared to attempt the above tongue-twister, and others who gleefully embraced the chance to pluck it up deliberately.
lucked
Fucked
(We were all tempted, so St Gyppo had fearlessly taken on the load to spare you all.)
fucker (now you'd opened the flood gates)
Tucker
ticker
picker
wicker
wicked
wicket
picket
pocket
rocket
socket
socked
docked
ducked ;D
lucked (e.g. lucked out)
plucked
plunked
(As in a ghostly dog came in and plunked a steaming great invisible ghostly turd on my keyboard. I can't see it but it stinks, and it's really messing up my touch typing.)
plunged
lunged
longed
longer
plonger - as in dive
plunger
Toilet unbunging tool.
plunder
pounder
pounded
sounded
rounded
bounded
bonded
banded
banged
bangled
tangled
mangled
mingled
mingle
Dingle
jingle
jangle
jungle
bungle
bugle
bugler
bugles
buglers
buggers
muggers
tuggers
luggers
Lugers
luges
lubes
tubes
pubes
pubs
rubs
grubs
grub
grab
crab
crib
rib
rob
lob
blob
bob
bomb
comb
tomb
tome
home
hope
rope (for when you run out of hope)
trope (for when everyone copies you and the rope)
tripe
stripe
strive
shrive
shrine
shine
spine
spin
Spain
pain
gain
grain
rain
ran
bran
brag
crag
rag
rage
raged
ragged
bragged
bragger
bagger
The 'bagger' was a rural 'piece of shit' who was paid to trap foxes alive, 'bag them', and then release them in unfamiliar territory for the huntsmen to pursue.
badger
bodger
=====
Often used nowadays to describe a low standard tradesman in any profession, as in Jokes about plumbers or appliance repairmen called 'Bodgit and Leggit', sometimes with 'Runn' as a third partner.
The real Bodger was a skilled man who made parts for wooden chairs.
===
dodger
lodger
'
(Remember, in English 'Roger the Lodger' is a nickname, not an instruction.)
lodge
lode
lude
lope
cope
I see you decided to ignore Fly's 'lude', but what the hell ;-)
cone
cane
sane
pane
pant (exactly one half of a pair of American trousers)
I thought you were breathing heavy
cant
the speech, not the contraction
scant (the clothing not the presidential intellect.)
scan
Sean
sewn
sew
sow
cow
cowl
howl
owl
oil
boil
soil
spoil
spool
pool
poll
pull
hull
hulk
bulk
bulb
bull
bell
well
swell
swill
shill
still
spill
pill
hill
mill
mall
small
smell
smelt
spelt
pelt (as in the fur growing on the back of Noiz's neck)
gelt
Slang term for money. Archaic but still heard fairly often.
melt
meat
beat
heat
heal
heel
feel
fell
hell
hull
cull
cult
colt
bolt
belt
bell
fell
well
welt
wilt
will
pill
spill
swill
still
stall
shall
shalt (Archaic, but not yet dead.)
halt
hilt
kilt
kiln
kin
skin
skip
(Miss him too :'( )
Kip
tip
tin
sin
pin
pine
wine
whine
while
whale
hale
hate
gate
game
fame
fate
late
ate
are
care
hare
share
shame
shale
stale
tale
gale
gall
mall
mail
wail
wall
well
Swell
swill
still
stile
Tile
tale
Ale
pale
Pile
mile
milk
silk
sulk
bulk
hulk
hull
hill
sill
shill
shell
Hell
hall
(Most halls are nervous at this time of year, for fear of being 'decked'. Mine is perfectly safe from this seasonal violence.)
hale
hare
tare (Biblical weed)
stare
me giving you the evil eye :o
start
A sudden involuntary movement as one recoils away from the evil eye ;-)
stark
Stork
storm
store
score
scare
scar
spar
spur
spurt
sport
snort
snore
Nore
(The Nore is a sandbank off the mouth of the Thames, which used to guarded by the Nore Lightship. There is now a modern fully automated warning buoy.
Norse
horse
hose
nose
Noose
moose
goose
gorse
gore <- Is that cheating?
Not cheating at all. Removing a single letter is a legitimate move.
tore
in fact, it was so fun
toe
to
no
go
so
lo (and behold)
do
Po (The river of that name.)
pop
sop
Fop
cop
clop
clot
cloth
clothe
clothed
clotted
blotted
slotted
slatted
splatted
platted
plotted
alotted
slotted
slitted
Slitter
=====
"He might look like a sweet little old man, but in the war he was a very accomplished slitter of throats."
===
slither
Slather
lather
later
slater
slate
sate
sale
pale
pall
pail
wail
hail
mail
sail
snail
nail
ail
hail
hall
halt
shalt
shall
small
mall
malt
salt
silt
slit
shit
shiv
Spiv (Now there's a really old word.)
spin
spine
spike
pike
poke
Joke
joker
poker
toker
Token
taken
take
fake
fame
frame
Frome
=====
It's a town on Somerset. We used to pass through it fairly often and one of my mates always said, "When in Frome, do as the Fromans do."
It was funny the first time.
===
Rome
Another town....
Roma
(possibly the same town, but also an ethnic group)
coma
comma
commy (variant of commie)
mommy
mummy
dummy
rummy
runny
bunny
burny
burn
burr
burp
bump
bumf
bum
tum
tut
tun (A liquid measure. A very large cask, about 252 gallons.)
tuna
tuba
tube
lube
lobe
robe
Rob
rot
rote
mote
smote
smoke
spoke
poke
pole
poll
moll
mole
Coincidently I've just got out of hospital after having a nasty mole removed from my penis.
That's the last time I try to shag one of those vicious little buggers!
You clown ;-)
Dole
pole
sole
sale
shale
shall
shalt
halt
malt
melt
gelt
gel
gal
gall
ball
bail
pail
pain
main
Cain
can
clan
clang
slang
sling
slung
(Alma used to ride in a sling when she was a baby. I always used to smile at the unwanted vision when my daughter said, "I slung Alma over my back and went walking.")
lung
dung
sung
stung
sting
swing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JFsQG2hrt0
sing
sign
sin
sine
tine
tile
pile
piles
Miles
tiles
tiler
Tiled
filed
field
wield
yield
bield
bied (Afrikaans/Dutch for 'offer')
bed
wed
weed
seed
speed
speel
peel
peal
seal
seam
ream
cream
dream
dram
ram
ramp
tramp
tram
trim
rim
prim
prom
pom
poem
Poe as in Edgar Allan
Po (An Italian River)
pot
plot
plod
plop
slop
sloop
stoop
stop
shop
shot
shoot
hoot
hot
lot
lit
slit
slat
slut
glut
gut
git
kit
kite
site
shite
Shiite
I'm stumped so I'll be completely unoriginal and revert back to...
shite
spite
spit
pit
bit
bet
get
gut
gun
pun
fun
pun
sun
shun
shut
smut
scut
The white tail of a wild rabbit. Sometimes the only thing a noisy stalker will see, as they dive into the hedgerows or down their burrow to avoid you. Just a derisory white flicker saying 'Up yours!"
Scup
A type of fish.
sup
pup
tup
A male sheep
tip
zip
zap
nap
pap
pep
peep
weep
seep
steep
sweep
sheep
sheen
sheet
sleet
Fleet
feet
beet
beat
As the sadist said to his whipping boy, "The beat goes on."
meat
teat
treat
tread
read
dread
dead
deed
Seed
weed
Wed
bed
bled
led
Sled
shed
sped
spud
stud
Sud
cud
Crud
crude
rude
rode
Ride
Rider
riper
ripen
ripe
gripe
grope
rope
rose
ruse
muse
must
just
jut
tut
tot
Thot
(the Egyptian god)
shot
hot
hat
chat
cheat
cleat
clean
lean
leaf
Lear
fear
bear
tear
team
steam
steal
seal
sell
swell
Smell
spell
spill
pill
poll
pole
pope
Rope
Dope
=====
Talking of Pope and rope... Sung on the night shift at the bakery by an ex-soldier who had served in Ireland at the height of 'the troubles', to the tune of the bloody Coke advert 'I'd like to buy the world a Coke.
"I'd like to buy The Pope a rope
and hang him from a tree,
with Bernadette and Joe Cahill too
to keep him company."
===
Dupe
dune
dunk
dank
dink
drink
Brink.
There once was a Drover,
by name Bluey Brink,
a bugger for work
and a devil for drink.
rink
rank
prank
frank
drank
drunk
dunk
Dank
dark
dare
fare
Flare
flame
fame
fade
fad
wad
wed
weed
sweed
sweet
tweet
twee
tee
tea
sea
seam
Steam
team
ream
dream
Cream
cram
ram
dam
dame
tame
lamb
You seeing cross eyed old man
Lame
Gawd knows what happened there ;-)
Game
gate
fate
pate
mate
mane
male
kale
ale
pale
vale
vile
vine
pine
spine
swine
swing
swig
swag
wag
wage
age
rage
page
cage
sage
sag
bag
hag
shag
slag
swag
wag
wad
bad
bed
bled
sled
shed
she
see
pee
pea
pear
spear
Speak
peak
peal
peel
pele
The wooden practice post savagely beaten for hours on end to develop the sword arm of medieval knights. You might be surprised just how soon you start to lose strength, and how quickly the muscle develops.
pile
pill
till
Tile
wile
(Singular, as displayed by a young woman who has yet to develop the full set of feminine wiles)
wife
(if anything will dampen a wile, it is a marriage certificate)
wiff
riff
Rife
Rifle
trifle
trifles
trifled
rifled
riffled
riffle
rifle
Rifles
We're stuck in a loop of repetitions here, aren't we? Let's kick the box and make the needle jump to another track. In fact, let's go with that for the new starter.
Track
I thought of ruffle and raffle and then waffle and then I got stuck again so to track
rack
race
Grace
graze
gaze
gale
Ale
tale
Tall
stall
stale
Tale
tame
Fame
frame
Framed
flamed
lamed
Lame
lace
race
Trace
tracer
Traced
raced
faced
facet
faucet
faucets
Facets
faces
aces
ales
tales
tale
teal
Tea
sea
Seal
seam
Steam
stem
stew
Slew
slaw
claw
clan
can
pan
plan
flan
flap
Lap
lay
slay
flay
flag
slag
slug
lug
luge
I can't resist it...
"Why is sex with a redhead like riding a luge?"
"You just lie flat, hold on tight, and try not to die before the ride's over."
;D ;D ;D
huge
hug
hag
hog
hop
hoe
shoe
shot
Hot
hit
hat
what
whet
=====
What, still alive at twenty two?
A fine upstanding lad like you?
But bacon's not the only thing
that's cured by hanging from a string
Why, if your throat's so hard to slit
then slit your girl's and swing for it.
So when the dark ink of the night
spreads o'er the blotting pad of light,
lads whose work is still to do
shall whet their knives and think of you.
(A gloomy parody of Whitman's Shropshire Lad.)
===
when
hen
Her
here
Were
wire
hire
shire
shore
spore
pore
port
sport
sort
snort
short
Shirt
shit ;-)
Sit
slit
Lit
lot
blot
clot
slot
sloth
cloth
clot
clit (Just to prove that some men know where to find it when appropriate.)
lit
lid
lie
pie
pip
pipe
Pope
pole
mole
sole
hole
whole
whale
hale
halt
hall
shall
shale
shade
shape
Share
shame
sham
ham
hum
him
shim
skim
skip
sip
slip
lip
lap
lop
pop
pup
pug
mug
bug
lug
lag
bag
brag
brig
big
bug
bog
dog
doc
doe
roe
rod
road
broad
brad
brat
Bram
brim
Brit
grit
git
wit
wet
whet
when
hen
pen
pun
spun
Spin
spine
Pine
pile
pill
poll
pull
Dull
doll
dole
role
pole
mole
mode
node
anode
Ande
Exercising the rarely used 'move a single letter without disturbing the rest option'.
Dane
done - As in, well done.
I was thinking it was going to go to abode, then bode and back to normal.
don
son
sot (As in drunkard.)
lot
lit
slit
flit
flat
fat
cat
chat
shat
spat
spot
shot
shit
slit
slat
slate
late
lane
sane
same
shame
shade
shad (It's a fish.)
shod
hod
bricklayers used to use these to carry bricks. I think
had
=====
Patti. Technically it was the bricklayer's labourer who used to run up and down ladders with the hod full of bricks. No employer was going to pay a brickie his top wages to run around. The labourer's job was to make sure the brickie always had a supply of bricks exactly where he needed them as he worked along the wall.
A lazy or 'overly cautious' hod-carrier soon got his marching orders.
Then they introduced hoists on tall buildings, with pallets of bricks taken direct from delivery lorry to hoist with an all terrain forklift, so all the labourer had to do was run along an individual level of scaffolding setting up the 'ready use' piles.
head
Well, I got the move bricks part right. 8) 8)
bead
read
reed
=====
Inside information, Patti ;-). Dad carried a hod amongst other duties before he became a Foreman, Even then, if a lazy hodsman said it was impossible to do it as fast as Dad expected he'd take off his donkey jacket, spit on his hands for a theatrical flourish, and show them.
He was a working foreman, always counted himself as one of the crew when estimating how many men he needed for a particular job.
They used to carry cement/mortar up in the hod as well, because back then they didn't hoist a mixer up to the appropriate level.
A good mixer-man could just about keep pace with a crew of decent hodsmen. Between them they could make the brickie really earn his extra money.
All paid by results (Job and Finish) not the hour.
===
rend
Gyppo, you have a wonderful family. So many stories. :D
rind
grind
grin
grim
grime
rime
ripe
gripe
tripe (There's a lot of it about at the moment.)
tribe
bribe
We all love Gyppo's stories, :) I could elaborate.
bride
ride
ripe
pipe
Pope
dope
dome
Dime
dim
rim
brim
brig
brag
crag
Rag
rage
sage
sages
pages
(Been a lot of those just lately, both written and read.)
rages
(I've read and written a few of those over the past few weeks.)
rags
tags
hags
sags
saga
sage
mage
mange
range
rang
tang
hang
hung
lung
lunge
luge
huge (just saying)
hue
Hum
Hun
hum
Hum seems to be popular ;D
Hume
shoulda gone with Han or Hud or hue but I didn't look back .... damn.
hums
gums
bums
buns
bunt
hunt
haunt
haut
haute
hate
mate
date
fate
face
pace
pale
pall
wall
gall
gale
hale
whale
shale
shalt
shan't
chant
chart
Hart.
(Archaic medieval English for a red deer stag, more than five years old.)
shart
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=shart
short
snort
New tongue twister based on the last 3 words.
Short snorting sister Susan
sniffed a smelly shart.
If sister Susan snorting sharted
a smell shart she sniffed.
sort
sore
Spore
Quote from: Mark Hoffmann on May 09, 2020, 08:39:40 AM
snort
New tongue twister based on the last 3 words.
Short snorting sister Susan
sniffed a smelly shart.
If sister Susan snorting sharted
a smell shart she sniffed.
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
I couldn't say it without laughing and stuttering.
spoke
poke
pike
puke
duke
dude
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNHdPPJGowY
dune
rune
prune
prude
pride
ride
rode
lode
lope
rope
grope
grove
grave
gave
pave
pace
puce
puke
pike (both the farm implement and the stupid boy.)
like
liken
liked
lined
liner
linear
It's been long enough I'm gonna cheat and say-
near
neat
teat
feat
feet
fleet
sleet
sleek
sleep
seep
peep
weep
week
weak
tweak
teak
steak
steam
stream
scream
scram
cram
cramp
crimp
primp
pimp
pip
pup
pulp
gulp
gull
gill
grill
frill
trill
till
tall
stall
stale
scale
scaled
scalded
scolded
scolder
colder
bolder
older
odder
fodder
modder (As in one who modifies, not someone who is more 'mod'.)
madder
ladder
larder
harder
hoarder
hoarded
boarded
barded
bared
cared
care
came
tame
time
mime
mine
Dine
dime
dim
him
ham
ram
pram
tram
tramp
cramp
crimp
crime
scrime
In dog agility, they used to have a scribe (who wrote down the scores as the judge issued penalties) and a timer (who operated the stopwatch.) When the timing was automated (triggered by the dog taking the jump) it was possible for one person to do both jobs. That role of scribing and timer is called the scrime.
scrimes
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=scrime
crimes
rimes
riles
roles
rules
rues
cues
clues
clubs
cubs
cube
cubes
pubes
pukes
pokes
spokes
spikes
pikes
hikes
hiker
hiked
biked
baked
faked
flaked
flanked
flanker
planker
planked
plinked
linked
lined
pined
pinned
sinned
sinner
sinker
stinker
tinker
winker
wicker
picker
picked
pickled
tickled
ticked
licked
liked
like
lake
cake
came
same
sane
Dane
Dame
lame
lime
time
timer
timed
timid
tumid
humid
humic
huic
hic
chic
chick
hick
hack
hark
mark
mare
care
Carp
scare
hare
hard
card
chard
charm
harm
harp
hart
tart
start
stark
spark
park
pork
dork
cork
cord
chord
chard
hard
lard
laid
raid
braid
brad
brand
grand
grant
grunt
runt
brunt
bunt
that is so tempting
bun
pun
Hun ;-)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naiLTLH5lj8
Hunk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SUC8sdP5eI
chunk
chunky
hunky
hanky
panky
panty
pant
part
pert
perk
pork
fork
folk
yolk
Polk
one of our less famous presidents
pole
pale
kale
vale
vile
vice
nice
niche
nigh
( I know, I cheated.)
sigh
sign
sin
spin
span
spank
stank
tank
rank
crank
drank
drunk
dunk
punk
pink
pint
lint
flint
flit
flat
slat
slate
spate
spite
shite
white
whit
whim
him
shim
stim
stem
step
Sten
stun
shun
spun
pun
Hun
hen
then
thin
shin
shine
spine
spin
Wheeee!
pin "POP!"
(POP goes the weasel.)
pink
ink
sink
stink
stank
stand (as in The. Classic!)
sand
hand
hang
pang
prang
rang
rank
crank
cranky
cranks
pranks
planks
plinks
links
blinks
blanks
blank
Gyp, Your post number right now is 11111 hahahahahha
You can bank on that.
bank
lank
lark
lurk
murk
Turk
turn
torn
Tern
ten
pen
pin
pun
spun
stun (set phasers to)
tun
(A liquid measurement. A large wooden barrel, approximately 252 gallons capacity. If you need to visualise it in litres let Google or whatever convert it for you, but I can tell you it's a big bugger.)
turn
tarn
(Scottish lake)
they have tarns in Cumbria too ;)
yarn
yearn
learn
lean
clean
clan
flan
flat
slat
slut
slum
scum
scam
scat
cat
chat
shat
shot
shut
phut
pout
lout
rout
route
roué
rope
rote
mote
smote
smoke
stoke
stroke
strake (Look it up if you're unfamiliar with the word.)
strike
Shrike
shrive
strive
stripe
tripe
trope
rope
grope
gropes
Enough of this unseemly groping...
grapes
gapes
apes
Apis
Pisa
visa
vista
Pista
It's a car I'll never be able to afford
piste
paste
haste
chaste
chase
case
cave
cane
crane
cran (A volume measure for fresh herring. Imagine a barrel capable of holding 37.5 gallons. An old time fishing boat which came back with 'one hundred cran of the silver darlin's' had enjoyed a pretty successful trip.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ov81aogaxg
crab
grab
grub
rub
pub
pun
nun
nut
rut
rug
trug
(gardener's basket)
drug
drum
rum
I miss Ma
ram
cram
cream
ream
dream
dram
drat
rat
prat
prate
pate
late
date
dare
dame
came
cafe
face
(or does that count as two changes?
it's okay with me ;D ;D ;D
fame
tame
lame
lime
slime
slim
slam
A slam is almost always followed by a
slap.
slop
slip
lip
lit
flit
flat
flab
flan
plan
play
ply
pay
spay
spy
shy
she
shed
sled
sped
speed
seed
seek
leek
peek
peck
speck
Spock
shock
chock
hock
mock
rock
rack
lack
pack
back
buck
luck
duck
Duc
doc
dog
dig
jig
pig
gig
gag
sag
sage
sarge
large
barge
badge
cadge
cage
care
cape
cap
lap
lad
laid
plaid
paid
laid
lain
slain
Spain
span
spank
spunk
(sorry)
punk
puck
pluck
puck
puce
pule
pulp
pull
cull
call
fall
fail
pail
pain
gain
grain
rain
drain
train
trains
strain
stain
satin
statin
station
stations
we seem to be at an impasse
so to begin again .....
start
smart
mart
mare
pare
park
lark
lack
clack
click
slick
slice
spice
spiced
sliced
slicer
slicker
snicker
sicker
ticker
sticker
stacker
slacker
slacked
snacked
smacked
stacked
staked
slaked
slake
snake
sake
lake
take
tame
tome
Toe
Doe
do
to
too
tot
toot
boot
boom
loom
loot
foot
fool
tool
stool
stoop
stood
anew
WTF? ;-)
roll with it.
knew
Fair enough ;-)
know
snow
sow
row
crow
crop
prop
plop
plip
pip
a·new
/əˈn(y)o͞o/
Learn to pronounce
adverb LITERARY
in a new or different and typically more positive way.
"her career had begun anew, with a lucrative Japanese modeling contract"
once more; again.
"tears filled her eyes anew"
lip
clip
clap
chap
chat
shat
shot
shoot
soot
sooty
booty
boots
bouts
louts
lots
loots
toots
tots
totes
topes
lopes
slopes
slops
shops
shows
slows
sows
sobs
snobs
snogs
snows
knows
know
knew
new
net
neat
seat
seam
seem
deem
deer
peer
pear
par
spar
spare
pare
pate
spate
spite
spit
slit
sit
sot (drunkard)
shot
shut
shun
hun
hum
bum
bun
bin
big
gig
gag
gad
sad
mad
pad
paid
laid
lard
hard
card
care
scare
scar
scam
spam
span
spa
spy
spay
spray
sprat
spat
sat
sag (balti)
hag
shag
stag
stage
sage
sagy
sags
saga
gaga
gag
gat
gas
as
was
wasp
gasp
asp (One of which earned its place in history by biting Cleopatra's bosom.)
ass (according to Patti, a type of hat)
mass
bash
cash
crash
rash
rasp
wasp
warp (speed Mr Sulu)
carp
cart
carl (Housecarl, a trained warrior of a Viking or Anglo Saxon household. A bodyguard.)
farl
fare
flare
flared (apparently, in the 70s Gyppo had some flared combat trousers.)
It's a foul rumour. The only flares I've ever owned have been the kind which emitted coloured smoke or bright lights. Had a lot of fun with those over the years.
Glared
glazed
lazed
(Which is what I've done today. I woke up, feeling happy, and decided to have a totally lazy day. So far, apart from preparing food and drink, I've stuck to the plan.
But I may crack a little while before sorting out dinner and drill a hole in the wall for a hook to hang my baker's apron.)
gazed
gaze
gave
save
sane
mane
mange
range
rage
rate
sate
fate
fat
tat
teat
test
rest
pest
peat
pear
rear
reap
neap
(A neap tide is the opposite of a spring tide. Look it up if you want a more detailed explanation.)
nap
sap
tap
tip
top
tup
pup
cup
cud
mud
dud
dude
rude
rune
rung
dung
dunk
sunk
sink
rink
pink
punk
hunk
hank
hand
Rand
grand
grind
rind
mind
mint
pint (cider)
tint
taint (necessarily so)
taunt
taut
tut
tat
tar
tor
torn
born
barn
burn
urn
url
Ur (Ancient biblical city)
cur (ancient Biblical mutt)
cut
put
pit
spit
spite
site
smite
smile
stile
stifle
stifled
stiffed
stiffer
sniffer
snuffer
suffer
surfer
turfer
Turner
burner
burper
burger (Possibly a prelude to the previous word.)
purger
urger
urge
surge
Sarge
barge
barre
bare
care
cart
card
Carp
harp
hard
card
care
scare
scar
spar
span
spin
spine
spire
shire
shine
swine
swing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JFsQG2hrt0
sing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI5ORDi7yOs
song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC_XM4l1DHo
The message in this song isn't always true. Sometimes, when you're smiling', the folks in your immediate vicinity are filling their pants wondering just what the hell you're going to do next.
pong
pond
fond
found
pound
sound
hound
bound
bund
bunt
hmmmmmmm
hunt
shunt
If you have doubt about the validity of 'bunt' it's an outside loop in aerobatics, where the pilot's head is to the outside of the loop rather than the inside. The blood rushes to your head instead of your feet.
It looks so wrong when you see it. ;-)
shut
shot
spot
slot
slat
swat
sat
pat
spat
splat
split
slit
slim
slime
lime
rime (White granular frost)
rim
rum
rump
lump
clump
clamp
lamp
lamb
lame
blame
blam (One of several written representations of the sound of gun shot, most of which don't really work all that well.)
blah
blag
blog
flog
flop
Fop (dandyish gent)
A bit like this chap...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQAR-nx4w88
fog
dog
hog
hag
bag
brag
brig
trig
trug
true
rue
rye
cry
fry
fly
flu
fu
fun
funk
flunk
flank
lank
link
blink
blind
blend
lend
land
wand
ward
war
car
care
scare
share
sharp
harp
hare
bare
bar
tar
par
spar
spark
snark
snare
snake
shake
shame
shamed
shammed
hammed
hummed
bummed
bumped
bumper
humper
Thumper
thumped
humped
pumped
pimped
primped
primed
prime
rime (crystalised frost)
time
tome
home
come
cone
scone
stone
stoned (but NOT until I blew this whistle)
stoner
stonier
tonier
bonier
bonnier
bonnie
Monnie
I was/am stumped.
Minnie
let's just go with
mini
mine
mind
mined
fined
fine
fie
file
tile
title
titles
titled
tiled
tilled
tiller
filler
fuller
=====
This is an interesting word with more the one meaning, apart from the obvious.
1) Fuller; A medieval/biblical name for a person who cleans garments using Fuller's Earth to absorb, loosen, and remove stains. Fuller's Earth is used in mobile decontamination units at chemical, biological, and nuclear incidents. Often also available as a 'cleaning paste' from pound shops under a variety of trade names ;-)
2) The groove(s) down either or both sides of a knife/sword blade which reduces the amount of metal to remove some of the weight and make it less unwieldy. It makes it slightly more flexible, and thus more durable in use. Also less liable to break.
This is the point to stop reading if you are of a particularly squeamish disposition... But being curious writers you'll probably ignore this warning.
The fuller in a blade is commonly referred to, by those who don't know the mechanical reasons, as 'the blood groove'. They rather fancifully think it allows the blood to drain more readily from a victim. This fails to take into account the way muscles automatically clenching tight around the blade, thus making quite a good seal until it's yanked free (There's a lot of mythology around edged weapons.) If exsanguination was enhanced by a 'blood groove' there would have been one on the classic black 'commando dagger'.
duller
puller
pulled
polled
poled
pole
mole
male
tale
tall
talk
tack
task
tank
stank
stink
sink
sick
pick
=====
Q: How do you confuse an Irish labourer?
A: Offer him three shovels and tell him to take his pick.
===
;D ;D ;D ;D
puck
duck
dock
rock
frock
frack
rack
race
pace
Dace
Silvery freshwater fish. Notorious bait stealers unless you have good reflexes.
dare
tare
hare
hear
tear
pear
peal
peak
leak
leek
seek
seen
been
bean
bear
tear
tar
bar
bur
bun
bunt
hunt
hint
mint
lint
line
pine
spine
shine
shone
hone
hope
rope
trope
tripe
trip
grip
drip
rip
rap
rapt
apt
ape
tape
tame
fame
faze
gaze
graze
grape
gripe
grope
rope
role
mole
tole (As in Tole painting)
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/88/1b/47/881b470f4ebe08907d0b4a6c51d934d7--canal-boat-decorative-paintings.jpg
Pole
pope
pore
port
sport
spore
shore
short
shirt
skirt
skit
sit
site
mite
smite
smile
stile
stilt (where the other one is, no one knows, and one stilt is useless)
still
skill
shill
hill
chill
chilli
chills
hills
pills
mills
miles
smiles
stiles
tiles
tilts
gilts
wilts
wills
swill
skill
kill
pill
poll
pole
mole
sole
stole
stele
(A monumental stone, gravestone or similar.)
steel
steal
teal
tell
tall
tail
fail
foil
coil
oil
soil
spoil
spool
stool
stoop
stop
shop
shoe
shod
hod
(As used by bricklayers' labourers.)
pod
(as used by beans and peas)
sod
(Turf, or an abbreviated Sodomite.)
soda
SIDA
side
tide
time
lime
limp
lamp
lamb
jamb
jam
ram
dam
dim
dime (can you spare one?)
time
tile
stile
still
spill
shill
shall
stall
stale
stare
stark
spark
spare
spade
shade
shape
shale
hale
half
hall
ball
bawl
awl
owl
bowl
cowl
coal
coat
chat
cheat
heat
hear
fear
pear
bear
bar
bare
bear
wear
hear
heat
hate
hat
sat
bat
bad
bid
hid
hide
ride
ripe
tripe
trite
rite
write :)
white
whine
chine
Boatbuilding term. Look it up if you're curious ;-)
chin
chip
hip
tip
tie
fie
fit
fat
tat
twat
watt
wait
bait
gait
git
got
goat
gloat
float
bloat
boat
moat
most
moist
hoist
=====
(The fusebox in my bungalow has extra unused circuits and trip switches for things like a hoist. There's probably about an extra quarter mile of wiring built in as future proofing. The previous tenant used some of it, being a disabled lady. There was a panic alert system which they took away. Presumably they felt I was unlikely to panic or end up on the floor.
There are blanking plates in abundance where some appliances and gadgets were taken away and their circuits sealed off. All built in when this place was built about 12 years ago.
I'll admit to having unscrewed a few when I first moved in 'just to have a look'. In some cases the wiring is still there, in others just an empty conduit where the wires could be re-run if ever necessary.
There was no cable TV or broadband installed, but there was a plastic conduit from the street cabinet to each bungalow with a nylon line so they could pull the cable through if wanted. I remember seeing these bungalows being built, and being amazed how much 'infra-structure' was being included as standard. It made perfect sense, but housing associations aren't particularly renowned for common sense ;-)
Gyppo
host
post
past
mast
mask
cask
task
talk
stalk
stall
stale
scale
shale
shape
shave
have
gave
give
gibe
vibe
vine
vint
vent
vest
pest
best
test
rest
nest
neat
teat
treat
treaty
treats
threats
throats
throat
troat
To cry in rutting time —especially of a buck.
trot
rot
riot
Rio (The place.)
bio
bin
pin
pun
spun
span
spawn
pawn
lawn
fawn
dawn
drawn
drown
crown
brown
brow
row
rot
cot
coot
foot
fool
fowl
cowl
coal
foal
focal
local
vocal
vocals
locals
bocals
vocals
We appear to getting into a bit of a loop here, Folks ;-)
May I suggest a 're-set', starting with...
A
almond
Quote from: Gyppo on June 12, 2021, 05:04:08 AM
We appear to getting into a bit of a loop here, Folks ;-)
May I suggest a 're-set', starting with...
A
as
Asp
wasp
wash
wish
dish
hash
feeling ignored :(
MASH
math
maths
paths
pats
spat
spit
slit
slim
slum
slam
sham
Sam (The Sham)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE_MpQhgtQ8
same
game
gale
pale
sum
?
sorry, missed a page.
pate
gate
grate
grape
gripe
grope
rope
robe
rode
rodeo
Romeo
Rome
role
tole
mole
mope
rope
ripe
tripe
trite
rite
bite
bike
bile
vile
vole
vote
tote
bale
kale
=====
I planted six kale plants yesterday. They may grow enough to be useful, or they may get eaten by slugs or pigeons. I travel hopefully.
These are Pink Kale, sold as being decorative but edible as well. If they survive the first few weeks I may pass some of them on to my Grandaughter, who likes the idea of growing things, but possibly suffers from a 'black' thumb.
===
hale
pale
vale
valet
vales
values
value
valued
valved
halved
halted
hated
hate
hat
chat
cheat
heat
heap
heal
seal
peal
petal
metal
medal
pedal
peal
deal
heal
heat
meat
melt
pelt
spelt
spell
awwwwww
sell
sill
still
stall
shall
hall
hail
pail
pain
gain
grain
rain
brain
bran
barn
tarn
tart
start
stark
stork
store
stare
spare
spar
the other...
Spa
spam
sham
ham
hum
him
dim
dam
dame
game
tame
lame
lamb
lamp
ramp
cramp
crimp
chimp
chump
hump
lump
lamp
lamb
jamb (Door jamb)
jam
ham
harm
charm
chard
card
carp
harp
harm
warm
worm
corm
(Some things which look like plant bulbs are technically called corms. I can't remember why this is, and can't be fussed to look it up right now, but the word has always stuck in my mind since my schooldays.)
cork
pork
pock
hock
chock
chick
chink
think
thank
hank
hand
Rand
brand
band
bane
cane
sane
sank
sink
rink
rank
tank
stank
stunk
They're out of order, but-
Stink
(just like my car right now, but that's a story for another thread)
sink
pink
punk
spunk
spank
span
spat
slat
slate
late
pate
spate
skate
state
sate
mate
mite
mile
mole
tole
toll
told
fold
mold
meld
melt
felt
(In the best Mills& Boon tradition... 'She simply melted at Lord OhSoRich's first touch, so he sent for a servant to clean up the mess on the parquet flooring and went off to tup a village wench instead, reflecting that they were much more resilient than the damned ice maidens his parents seemed to think would make a perfect wife for a man of his standing.)
pelt
I had to look up the word, "Tup."
gelt
gilt
gild
gold
geld
held
help
yelp
yell
Hell
well
will
pill
pile
tile
stile
stilt
stint
stunt
stun
sun
son
sin
skin
kin
kink
kind
kine
(Archaic term for a group of bovine cattle.)
wine
wing
swing
sting
string
strung
strong
sarong
Saron
Saxon
axon
Avon
Who's calling?
anon
canon
capon
capo
(A device clamped around the neck of a stringed instrument such as a guitar temporarily shortening the strings. Full name, capodastro.
Also a Mafia boss.)
cape
cope
cop
cap
tap
tip
trip
tripe
gripe
grip
drip
trip
trap
strap
strip
stripe
Strine
(The Australian language, as once described in a book called 'Let Stalk Strine'.
string
sting
stung
sung
sang
sand
band
bank
blank
lank
lark
hark
shark
shack
sack
suck
don't do it.
don't do it.
oh, Patti ... don't do it.
such
made it.
much
(Temptation is a terrible thing every time you get manipulated into playing with the suffix 'uck')
mulch
gulch
I was at a loss for far too long so I cheated and changed a sound in the word to a different one. Sue me. ;)
gulp
pulp
pule
(To cry plaintively, querulously, whimper.
Example: He began to pule like a baby. Or dialogue such as "Hush that puling brat, Woman, before I throw out out of the window."
Often used to turn up in Victorian tales, or those written in that style, but I've not heard it spoken in many years.)
rule
mule
mull
cull
call
all
ale
tale
stale
stile
stole
tole
(As in Tole painting)
toll
roll
roil
boil
foil
oil
coil
toil
toll
poll
pill
spill
spell
sell
Hell
Hello!
Jello
Jelly
belly
bell
ball
balk
bulk
bull
cull
pull
dull
dill
sill
silt
hilt
halt
malt
mast
mask
mash
sash
ash
ass
pass
piss
Couldn't resist. "When you've got to go..."
miss
mist
gist
grist
=====
The grain, or mixture of grains, the miller feeds into his mill.
In a literary context all information received and life lessons learned - either wholly or incompletely - are 'grist to the writer's mill'.
===
grit
grim
grip
=====
Sudden mental flash of one of the Carry-On...' films. A huge great Roman bruiser type announces "I am Agrippa!"
The skinny little one replies "Really? I'm a bit of a wrestler myself."
===
gripe
grope
rope
rape
grape
gape
gale
ale
all
pall
pull
dull
doll
dole
hole
hale
shale
shalt (Archaic English, as in "Thou shalt not pass."
Halt
malt
milt
wilt
hilt
hit
him
whim
whip
hip
chip
chin
shin
shine
whine
wine
wane
bane
bare
bore
core
cure
cured
lured
lures
lurks
Turks
turns
terns
(the birds)
teens
teems
teams
steams
stems
seems
deems
deeds
Let's get rid of the annoying 's'...
deed
dead
read
mead
mend
fend
fond
found
bound
sound
round
pound
pond
pone
one
ore
ode
doe
done
drone
crone
cone
cane
crane
crate
crave
rave
raze
daze
haze
hate
fate
gate
game
lame
lime
Time
rime (As in frost.)
dime
dome
come
combe
combed
bombed
bombé
the dessert, not the machine
bomb
womb
tomb
tome
tote
rote
rite
write
white
whit
As in 'not any amount: There's not a whit of sense in that head of his!'
Similar to iota. Both of them pertain to the smallest possible amount of anything.
wit
as in dim
wet
whet
when
then
thin
tin
tan
wan
way
sway
swat
swam
sham
shame
same
save
cave
came
come
cove
love
lone
tone
tine
fine
fink
funk
Gunk
(Can be all sorts of things, but here it's a 'spray-on, let it stand, then wash off cleaner for oily engines.)
lunk
lurk
lark
hark
hare
hire
fire
fine
find
hind
hint
bint
bind
kind
kink
wink
wick
dick
lick
pick
pica
Mica
Inc.
inch
pinch
Ouch!
winch
witch
hitch
itch
bitch
botch
both
bath
math
I'm American; it counts.
moth
I've just opened my wallet ;-).
myth
Some people would tell you that me 'opening my wallet' is indeed a myth. Those who know me better would say the exact opposite. In truth I rarely use a wallet, I'm either a card,or a roll of notes in a pocket guy.
Where were we? Oh yes...
Meth
met
bet
bit
but
put
pun
gun
gum
bum
(Which, believe it or not, is all I said when my half-dried duvet fell on the paving slabs as I tried to re-arrange it on the clothesline. This is a measure of how laid-back I've been feeling today, despite being busy, because there's plenty of other words I could have used.)
hum
Hun
Hin
sin
bin
ban
fan
fin
fine
kine
(Archaic word for cattle.)
kind
wind
wing
ding
dung
hung
hang
hand
hind
rind
rend
Red
reed
read
tread
Trend
tend
ten
Zen
hen
when
whet
whey
hey
hay
bay
bray
brat
bran
brain
drain
grain
gran
Grant
rant
runt
punt
punk
sunk
stunk
stuck
stick
sick
pick
prick
price
rice
race
grace
trace
track
truck
tuck
muck
much
such
ouch
touch
tough
rough
rouge
rogue
rogues
Pogues
pogue
It's been stalled here for a while. Shall we make a new start? How about...
Tank
talk
stalk
stale
shale
shall
hall
halt!
hilt
silt
sit
skit
slit
slot
sloth
cloth
clot
cot
cut
nut
not
rot
root
toot
tooth
sooth
sloth
slot
shot
spot
spit
spite
smite
smile
stile
stole
stale
stall
tall
pall
pale
pace
lace
lance
dance
dunce
dune
tune
tone
toke
Moke
mole
hole
whole
whale
hale
halt
hall
hell
bell
bill
gill
gull
full
pull
pill
mill
mile
smile
smite
smote
mote
mete
mere
sere
Anyone who doubts this is a real word can follow this link.
http://www.ellawheelerwilcox.org/poems/pkeepout.htm
seer
beer
beef
bee
fee
feel
feed
fled
flex
flux
flu
fun
Stretching the rules a little bit there, Midnight. You lost a letter and changed a letter ;-)
But let's go to fin anyway
fine
dine
dire
fire
sire
ire
dire
diet
died
did
kid
Fid
(A rope-working tool, used when making splices etc.)
fix
six
sex
hex
Rex
And for Laura, who posted 'hex'...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjUV-byB8ls
vex
Oh, yeah - that was a good time.
vox
pox
box
=====
One of my favourite bits of Shakespearian type English is the curse, "A pox upon you, Sir."
But it comes second to "A murrain upon you."
Our local paper used to have the Ramesses cartoon, a four or five frame strip cartoon, and the prophet figure would regularly wish a murrain, a plague, or even occasionally a simple pox, upon the Egyptian ruler.
In one issue Ramesses replies with, "And a wrestler upon you, Prophet." The next frame was a very puzzled looking prophet.
The final frame was a chunky black male slave, with bangles, etc, sat on the prophet, pinning him to the floor, with his arms and legs twisted into a fair facsimile of a pretzel. Ramesses was saying, "Have you met my court wrestler, Abdul?"
Gyppo
bot
rot
rote
rate
fate
fete
(As in a village fete, which is sometimes truly a 'fete' worse than death.)
feet
meet
meat
mate
mite
site
cite
rite
rate
race
pace
pack
tack
lack
black
block
=====
As they allegedly said to Sir Walter Raleigh, shortly before he died, ""I'm afraid the executioner has been delayed, Sir. Would you care to take a walk around the block?"
===
flock
(1066 And All That says Raleigh was executed for being left over from the last reign.)
lock
=====
I always suspected that Raleigh was executed because he'd claimed Squatter's Rights to his room in The Tower of London. In short, the man had gone past his 'Cell By' date.
===
Children are capable of being excellent readers, but motivating them may be tough. Parents could discover success by playing activities with their children that help them improve their reading abilities and vocabulary at the same time! Word Ladder is a game-like experience that lets students focus on decoding words even while teaching new terms. It's a game in which you start with one word and afterward change one letter from the preceding word at a time to construct a succession of words. Each word should be a legitimate English term. If you wish to make a word ladder from Bike to Lake, for example, try Bike->Hike->Like ->Lake.
Patrick, we would love to have you play the games with us. But telling us why or how they work and why this is educational and just posting text is less than delightful. You could do that in the Bar https://bestwritingforum.com/index.php/topic,8.0.html, but this isn't really the place. Do you also possess the skill sets needed to play these with us?
lick
nick
nock (on an arrow)
rock
crock
chock
(As in the wedge used against an aircraft's wheels to stop it rolling away. Every time I see the line of dialogue in a flying book where some less than totally informed author writes "Chocs away!" I don't know whether to laugh or cry.)
hock
As in, times were tough, so he hocked his chocks.
hack
whack
shack
shark
hark
ark
arc
car
par
pare
spare
spark
parks
marks
mares
tares
(There's a fine old biblical word which you rarely see used these days.)
stares
spares
shares
shires
shirts
shirt
skirts
skirt
skirl
(As in, 'the skirl of bagpipes'.
swirl
swill
skill
kill
krill
rill
roll
toll
tell
yell
yelp
help
kelp
keep
keen
seen
sheen
sheep
sheer
shear
hear
sear
sea
pea
ape
gape
grape
grade
trade
tread
dread
drear
rear
near
neat
seat
sate
slate
late
lute
flute
flume
flame
fame
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChhCpSVrjvU
tame
time
lime
rime
(As in rime frost.)
crime
grime
grim
trim
tram
team
seam
seal
real
peal
peel
peek
seek
meek
week
weep
sweep
steep
steel
stele
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stele
steer
sheer
cheer
cheep
creep
crepe
creme
crime
chime
chide
hide
hike
bike
bide
bode
body
boy
toy
soy
Oy!
coy
cop
con
cone
tone
toke
toker
token
(Could this be the past tense of the verb 'toke'?)
taken
taker
tamer
timer
times
tomes
domes
doves
dives
diver
river
Rover
Still vacationing on the red planet.
lover
=====
There's a New Forest village called Lover. It's in Wiltshire, a bit over a mile from Salisbury. There's a bit of a story about the place.
https://www.thenewforest.co.uk/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2019/02/lover-the-most-romantic-village-in-the-world-b106
===
loved
laved
slaved
slaver
slaves
shaves
staves
states
stakes
stake
stoke
spoke
spoken
spoked
as a wheel
poked
puked
nuked
naked
baked
backed
tacked
tanked
talked
walked
walker
wanker
wander
winder
winter
inter
enter
=====
Regarding inter...
There was a young farmer called Hyde,
who fell in a muckheap and died.
The next day his brother,
fell into another,
and now they're interred side by side.
===
center
canter
cater
eater
heater
beater
belter
better
batter
batten
fatten
flatten
flatter
flutter
fluster
cluster
bluster
luster
(One who lusts, rather than gleams or glistens as in lustre.)
lusted
busted
basted
bested
nested
vested
vented
dented
rented
ranted
canted
caned
caped
caper
paper
(One of mankind's best inventions, allowing a Storyteller to be in several places at once, and sometimes even attain immortality of sorts.)
piper
pipes
wipes
sipes
======
A strange word, but genuine. Sipes are the extra little grooves cut across the tread pattern of a tyre. They help to remove the water more quickly from the contact patch with the road surface, and improve traction in wet or otherwise slippery conditions.
If arcane little things like this fascinate you - I discovered them as a child - Wikki has a piece about them.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siping_(rubber)
===
snipes
sniper
'S nicer (ie, than it was yesterday. OK, but nobody else has come up with anything better.)
How about snipper, Jo?
======
Did everyone else lose the forum for a few hours yesterday due to internet gremlins?
===
snippet
I had posted on all these threads in the games place and none of my posts are here. Very odd.
What the hell is a snipper?!! You can't just add ER to a verb and say it's someone who does it! And incidentally, I can't follow SNIPPET either.
Jo. If one who cuts hair can be called a cutter then one who snips can be a snipper ;-)
Patti. There were problems on the server yesterday apparently, so some things may have gone adrift. I contacted Karl and he told me it should all be working again properly by tonight.
An hour or so ago it still wasn't accepting pictures, or showing existing ones. If they are still missing in the morning I'll contact Karl again.
In the meantime...
In view of the weather, shall we just restart this thread with a new word.
Heat
Gyppo: One who cuts hair is called a hairdresser or a barber. One who merely snips at it is called your mother.
However...from HEAT to
tropical
Jo: Now I know the heat is getting to you as well ;-) You've changed more than one letter.
feat
fear
bear
(Sorry, Gyppo, I thought I was on the last-letter board.)
boar
soar
(We all do it at times, Jo. The damned heat isn't helping.)
soak (A good one might help with the brain fog.)
oak
oat
goat
ghat
(nice one)
Seems a shame to just replace it with hat, but that's what's happening
hat
hate
bate
(The action of a semi-trained falcon or hawk when it launches itself from the falconer's arm whilst he/she still has a firm hold on the jesses, and thus ends up hanging upside down below the arm flapping its wings like crazy in an effort to regain it's perch.
This 'bating' is incredibly noisy, even with a small bird like a Kestrel.)
Gyppo
pate
paste
haste
chaste
chase
chafe
chaff
chuff (Not the crow, which is spelled chough, but the now rather outdated word for being awkward, bad-tempered and obstinate.)
cuff
puff
Muff
The wind was rough
and cold,
and bluff,
she kept her hands
inside her muff.
huff
duff
doff
Toff
...who doubtless doffs his cap or hat to any passing Lady.
Off
oaf
loaf
load
loan
loaf
leaf
lead
read
mead
mend
rend
trend
tread
read
reed
deed
seed
steed
stead
steal
stale
stall
small
smell
smelt
smolt
(A juvenile salmon at the stage when it is ready to migrate to the sea.)
molt
volt
volta
Volga
Olga
goal
Okay, so I moved two letters. Sue me.
foal
fool
tool
toil
roil
soil
foil
fowl
bowl
Owl
own
gown
town
down
dawn
fawn
pawn
paw
pew
few
fed
feed
reed
rend
tend
trend
Trent (the river)
rent
went
wend
wind
wined (and possibly dined)
fined (For too much wining and dining, followed by driving.)
=====
Pub Joke: A drunk walks into the local cop-shop, unzips, ands slaps his todger down on the desk in front of the duty sergeant.
"Tesht thish for alcohol."
"Why, Sir?"
"I'm planning to drive it home tonight."
===
filed (what that joke should be)
piled
(In a heap in the corner with a lifetime's worth of similarly poor jokes.)
piles (another kind of pain in the bum)
;-)
tiles
wiles
wilts
jilts
Jills
(As in more than one female ferret.)
fills
tills
tolls (Send not to ask etc)
rolls
(Bread, sausage, acrobatic, and a few other permutations as well. Take your pick.)
trolls
stroll
strolls
Have we reached an impasse here?
I got nothing.
Let's press restart then ;-) With a single letter word which could go in almost any direction.
=====
I
pi
pig
pug
hug
hag
=====
Mum, even late into her eighties, could recite this - learned at school - word perfect and with great style and vigour. It seems that dementia, although a seemingly random eraser of memories, has a hard time shaking out some things which were learned with enthusiasm by those who love words.
The Hag is astride
This night for to ride,
The Devill and shee together;
Through thick and through thin,
Now out and then in,
Though ne'er so foul be the weather.
A Thorn or a Burr
She takes for a Spurre,
With a lash of a Bramble she rides now;
Through Brakes and through Briars,
O'er Ditches and Mires,
She follows the Spirit that guides now.
No Beast for his food
Dares now range the wood,
But hush'd in his laire he lies lurking;
While mischiefs, by these,
On Land and on Seas,
At noone of Night are a-working.
The storme will arise
And trouble the skies;
This night, and more for the wonder,
The ghost from the Tomb
Affrighted shall come,
Call'd out by the clap of the Thunder.
Robert Herrick
===
shag (A bird like a cormorant. Why, what else could I have meant?)
Quote from: Jo Bannister on August 12, 2022, 02:02:52 PM
shag (A bird like a cormorant. Why, what else could I have meant?)
Apparently it's a dance as well. I saw an American advert for a dance festival. 'Come and join us. Attempt on the world shagging record. Over 1000 people shagging on the bench at one time."
=====
Shad (a fish)
shade
shave
shake
shale
stale
state
sate
mate
meat
heat
hat
hot
shot
shoot
hoot
hook
book
boot
boat
bloat
bleat
beat
teat
tear
rear
roar
soar
spar
spare
pares
panes
panel
plane
plate
prate
pirate
irate
rate
grate
gate
gat
cat
"Lookout, the cat's got a gat. He's shot a hole in my hat!"
cot
("Quick, strap Gyppo into one, he's forgotten his medicine again!")
clot
clod
cod
cad
chad
the little hanging papers that were such a big deal for a Presidential election, not the name or country
had
hard
card
cart
tart
tarn
Tern
fern
ern
(I had my doubts about this one, but apparently it's either a white tailed Eagle or an Employer's Reference Number. Must admit the thought of someone mistakenly bundling any kind of eagle in with their business paperwork, and the havoc which would ensue when the filing cabinet was opened later, really made my day.)
=====
ere (Archaic English for before/prior to.) As in 'Things were peaceful in the office ere Sylvia opened the cabinet marked 'e-g'.
===
Shit, Gyppo - now I want to know what was in the filing-cabinet! And whether it had been correctly filed in the first place.
cere - the waxy skin at the top of some birds' beaks.
care
=====
I guess cere comes from the same etymological root as adipocere, or 'corpse wax'. Which is a good reason for murderers not to dispose of bodies in deep lakes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adipocere
===
cake
I learned ern as a bird because I play a lot of word games like Boggle.
coke
(Either wet, powdery, or de-gassed coal. Your choice.)
code
node
note
cote
rote
rota
iota
Iowa
Iona
(One of the Hebridean Islands.)
ion
inn
in
pin
spin
shin
shine
shone
hone
one
on
of
oft
loft
soft
soot
moot
moat
goat
got
lot
sot
(A fine old word for a drunkard. Rarely heard these days.)
son (also often used to describe a drunkard)
sin
tin
pin
win!!!!!!
oh, wrong thread
wine
fine
find
fond
fund
found
sound
bound
hound
pound
pond
bond
bend
blend
bland
land
lend
rend
rent
rant
cant
as in to tilt
cat ;-)
cast
vast
avast - an interesting word in that it was only ever used by pirates, and possibly only by Hollywood pirates at that. Usually found in conjunction with Ye Lubbers.
avant
usually used with garde
savant
Havant - a village district of Portsmouth; somewhat oddly described by Wikipedia as "a human settlement in England". In contrast, one wonders, to what? Settlements of Barbary apes? Orang utans taking advantage of the public transport and good schooling opportunities? What planet are these people from?
Havana
Supposedly a kind of Mecca for fine cigars and the makers thereof.
=====
Jo: I can confirm that the residents of Havant are mostly human, although this odd little chap can be found hanging around in the High Street.
Left click to enlarge.
Gyppo
I bet the guy who wrote the Wikipedia entry saw that picture first!
Hivana - where good bees go when they die. (You're right, I made it up - can't find a legit solution. Anyone?)
I think we've just about flogged this particular horse to death.
Let's reset with...
horse
gorse
morse
more
core
chore
chose
hose
hope
hype
type
tyke
take
(He's the kind of tyke who'll take anything that's not nailed down.)
stake
stoke
spoke
spore
shore
whore
wore
wire
hire
heir
her
he
hem
hemp
hump
lump
limp
lamp
lamb
jamb
jab
lab
lay
pay
pad
mad
mud
mug
hug
tug
tub
rub
rube
tube
lube
lobe
robe
probe
prole
pole
dole
mole
mile
tile
till
toll
told
cold
fold
hold
bold
bolt
colt
cot
sot
tot
toot
root
rot
row
brow
brown
grown
gown
town
torn
worn
born
barn
tarn
darn
yarn
yawn
yawl
bawl
bowl
bow
brow
brew
crew
drew
dew
pew
paw
saw
sawn
dawn
fawn
fan
fen
Yen
ye
yet
bet
beat
beast
feast
least
yeast
East
eat
beat
beam
ream
reap
leap
leat - the water-channel on the other side of the mill-wheel from the mill-race.
late
latte
matte
matter
batter
latter
later
mate
math
moth
both
broth
booth
Sooth
tooth
toot
moot
most
moat
coat
boat
boa (either feather or snake)
bot
bolt
bot
tot
hot
hoot
host
ghost
gosh
Technically that was two moves, one letter moved and one lost. But I think ghost was a dead end anyway, so let's move on...
gash
gasp
hasp
(As in a padlock.)
harp
Carp
coot
Er - yeah. So carp to
cart
part
The one where I didn't go to the new page.
hart
like the deer
fart
fat
flat
flan
flank
lank
dank
drank
drink
drunk
dunk
dung
lung
lunge
luge
Luger
lager
layer
later
late
slate
slat
salt
malt
melt
pelt
spelt
smelt
smell
shell
shelf
self
elf
Ell
(Ancient cloth measurement, around 39".)
Ell is also a printer's measure: it's the minimimum vertical space needed for printing in English, ie the height of the tallest letter.
elk (Not to be confused with ilk, as one of our more rabid correspondents to the paper did constantly. The image of "Gerry Fitt and his elk" has never left me.}
Quote from: Jo Bannister on September 27, 2022, 07:43:01 PMelk (Not to be confused with ilk, as one of our more rabid correspondents to the paper did constantly. The image of "Gerry Fitt and his elk" has never left me.}
I'm not surprised. Guide dogs in the houses of parliament are one thing, but a full-on half-ton Irish Elk with twelve foot wide antlers would have been memorable.
I didn't forget we were following on from Elk.
Elm
helm
help
hell
shell
sell
sill
still
stilt
stile
tile
tine
(A prong on a fork.)
tiny
tint
taint
faint
fain
(Olde English for 'I would like to', want to, or variations thereof.
"Prithee fair maiden, fain would I wouldst transport thee with much unseemly haste to my bedchamber, where'st we could engage in the gentle joust of love."
gain
pain
plain
plan
plant
pant
want
went
wen
when
hewn
sewn
sown
gown
grown
grow
glow
slow
slob
slab
flab
flub
slub
(A haberdasher's term for a lump in a thread of fabric, sometimes deliberate to give it texture.
There's a long gone haberdashery link in the family tree, and my Gran used to sometimes refer to rough surfaced material, such as her much preferred hand-knitted dishcloth as being 'a bit more slubby' than the shop bought cloths.)
sub
nub
nib (Remember those?)
fib
fob
job
joe
jot
jolt
volt
colt
cold
mold
hold
hole
whole
whale
hale
heal
seal
deal
deam
dream
dram
cram
ram
ran
rain
pain
main
gain
gin
tin
sin
sun
bun
dun
dung
dunk
sunk
punk
junk
hunk
hank
hark
dark
bark
kayak
Wrong game, Gyppo. This is Change a Letter...from bark to
bard
Oops...
Bare
barre
barrel
carrel
=====
It's a real thing, not made up. I knew the word but wasn't 100% sure of the meaning until I looked it up. if you don't know it, look it up. I bet you've seen them, and possibly even used one.)
===
cartel
(My dictionary is buried. So what's a carrel?)
carrel
small cubicle with a desk for the use of a reader or student in a library.
HISTORICAL
a small enclosure or study in a cloister.
carted
parted
prated
(Thanks, Chick)
pirated
pirate
irate
rate
grate
gate
rite
I think you must have been a page adrift,Patti ;-). But what the hell, from rite lets go with...
rote
rota
iota
Iowa
Iona
ion
in
win
I try to check those damn page things and still mess up. Sorry.
wine
twine
swine
swipe
sipe
(The cross-drainage holes between the grooves/ribs on a tyre which allow surface water on the road to be ejected to the side. A clever little bit of applied physics.
snipe
snide
(Now there's a word I've not heard spoken for a long time.)
side
hide
hike
bike
like
line
link
slink
slunk
sunk
dunk
and I used the new page
go, me
drunk (and still capable of finding the new page!)
drank
crank
crane
cran - a woven basket, used as a measure for catches of herrings
ran
can
con
son
sin
pin
pint
punt
pent
vent
vend
tend
trend
Trent
(An English River)
tent
tint
taint
taunt
aunt
haunt
daunt
dunt
(A bruise or wound. Scottish origin)
ohhhhhh
dint
mint
mink
milk
silk
sill
swill
swell
smell
small
mall
all
ally
Pally
=====
When he got too pally
down a dark alley,
she kneed his bollocks
did my friend Sally.
===
tally (ie, one or both?)
tall
talk
stalk
(Plant part, or the more sinister meaning. Your choice.)
stank
tank
thank
hank (of wool or cordage)
hunk
lunk
lurk
lure
pure
as my heart
puke
duke
dune
dun
dung
dunk
dank
drank
crank
frank
rank
rink
pink
pick
puck
puce
pace
race
trace
track
frack
rack
lack
luck
lucky
plucky
pluck
plunk
punk
junk
sunk (There's nothing worse than a sunk junk!)
sink
pink
pin
pine
spine
swine
swive
Rarely used these days, but feel free to look it up ;-)
wives
lives
lies
likes
bikes
bites
mites
motes
(As in dust.)
smote
mote
mute
mutt
putt
butt
butte
bute
Slang for the drug phenylbutazone.
bite
bile
file
filo
silo
sill
jill - a female ferret
Jinn
(Arabian spirits. These are versatile little sods, and traditionally can be good or evil. A female Jinn could be compared to a Succubus. Some early writers would claim to have a Jinn, just as we might claim to have a Muse.)
Those Jinn are tricky, Gyppo, but you changed two letters. I'm going to reset with-
Jilt
Quite correct. I was obviously under the influence of a mischievous Jinn, rather than my more pragmatic Muse.
HILT
hint
bint
bunt
It's a baseball thing.
hunt
=====
Laura: Bunt is also a forward loop in an aeroplane. Nose down and curl under This means your head is on the outside of the circle, so instead of risking a black-out as the blood is driven towards your feet you get a red-out. Not good.
===
runt
grunt
(Another bunt is the buntline on the sail of a square-rigger, used (if I remember correctly - I may not) to hitch up a corner of the sail, either to improve the view from the wheel in tight manoeuvres or to let a following wind through to the foresails.)
brunt
(To 'bear the brunt' of something, such as an attack, is to get the worst of it, or the larger portion thereof.)
brut
rut
rat
rate
crate
create
Crete
Cree
(As in the Native American/Canadian tribes of that name.)
creed
reed
read
mead
mean
bean
bane
cane
crane
crave
craven
raven
riven
driven
drive
dive
live
liver
giver
given
riven
given
giver
liver
lover
hover
over
overt
covert
coven
oven
open
pen
ken
key
fey
bey
hey
=====
My grandaughter's guinea pigs recognise the word 'hay', so when it's time to chage the bedding she says "Hey, hey, hey." even before they see it, and they get all excited and scurry around squeaking.
===
hen
when
whin - or gorse, if you prefer
whine
shine
chine
(One of the possible cross sectional shapes for a boat's hull.)
chink - one of the many possible openings in a boat's hull. A seam will weep, a chink will leak, a hole will gush and the front end falling off will result in the Portaloo heading off into the Atlantic. All will result in sinking, the only difference is how long it will take.
chunk
hunk
husk
tusk
task
mask
mark
murk
musk
rusk
rust
ruse
cruse - a pot which should, but doesn't usually have, the magical ability to refill itself
curse
nurse
nursed
pursed - as of lips
Purser
(Pronounced Pusser by Royal Navy folks.)
purer
parer
paler
paper
Pater
water
Mater
mated
sated
(If the mating was successful)
saved
paved
paced
packed
sacked
lacked
laced
placed
placid
plaid
paid
laid
raid
rad
rid
grid
grin
gin
gun
fun
fin
fine
fife
rife
rile
file
fire
fired
filed
filled
milled
miller
millet
mallet
wallet
swallet (a sinkhole, or the spot where a surface stream becomes an underground stream)
sallett
pallet
pullet
mullet
mulled
dulled
culled
sculled
sculler
culled
called
calmed
(At last, we've got rid of the double 'l'.)
calved
halved
halve
salve
save
rave
brave
brace
grace
grape
gripe
tripe
ripe
rile
role
dole
dolt
colt
volt
vole
tole
(as in tole painting)
stole
sole
sold
solid
slid
slide
sidle
idle
idler
idles
idlest
lest
unless someone else can come up with something better
I couldn't, I'd already tried.
least
beast
boast
toast
stoat
stout
tout
tort
fort
sort
sore
score
core
corn
born
torn
tarn
barn
burn
turn
tern
term
team
steam
stem
item
mite
site
kite
kith
pith
British_army_tropical_pith_helmet.jpg
with
withy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Withy
witty
kitty
ditty
dirty
(Which some ditties are.)
dirt
dart
fart
fast
cast
coast
coat
cost
host
ghost
ghosts
hosts
Are we into a dead end here?
hosta
Costa
Other brands of coffee are available. This is not an endorsement ;-)
cost
lost
lose
rose
rouse
douse
house
louse
loose
noose
Moose
moos
moot
most
post
poet
Moet
mote
rote
rove
Dove
dive
rive
=====
To divide an object, for example a piece of wood, with a relatively blunt tool, so it splits along the lines of grain rather than being cut as it would with a sharp knife or a saw.
Lengths of riven wood are often surprisingly strong and flexible because the natural internal grain pattern hasn't been broken. It can still bend as it did whilst the tree was growing.
===
rime
time
tome
home
hone
hope
rope
trope
tripe
stripe
strip
strap
scrap
crap
frap - which sounds rude, but is actually a running repair at sea, tying enough rope around your leaky hull that you just might see land again
flap
=====
Jo. Talking of ship repairs I remember in one maritime adventre - possibly one of the Hornblower books - they had captured a prize ship loaded with rice.
It began to sail more slowly than it should, and was sitting noticeably lower in the water although there weewre no obvious leaks.
Once the deck planks began 'springing' they realised the cargo was absorbing the oncoming water though a relatively small leak and the ship was slowly tearing itself apart.
Maybe they used frapping on that one to gain a couple of extra days.
===
clap
slap
slat
slate
elate
plate
late
sate
state
Tate (Art Gallery)
tote
rote
role
rile
tile
tilt
silt
sill
pill
pile
Nile
pole
Patti jumped from 'pile' to 'pole' and missed the Nile. But what the hell, lets just keep rolling on with...
Sole
stole
stope
store
shore
snore
I'm going to get the hang of how all this works pretty soon.
Or else I'm going to be placed in a senior center and left.
spore
=====
(Maybe there's an experiment going on. Perhaps Patti has ben replaced by an Artificial Intelligence, which is smart as F***, but has no idea how to play writers games.
Come back, Patti.
===
sport
snort
snout
spout
pout
pour
our
sour
tour
tout
Trout
rout
gout
grout
grot
rot
roe
rose
hose
hope
hone
tone
tome
come
Rome
=====
"Rome wasn't built in a day, Dad." Grumbling because he wanted me to work harder than I felt inclined to do.
"Very true, Son. But I wasn't foreman on that job."
===
home
hove
shove
shovel
hovel
hotel
motel
model
yodel
yokel
yoke
joke
poke
pike
puke
duke
dupe
dope
rope
trope
tripe
ripe
tripe
trip
grip
gripe
grape
gape
gate
game
fame
flame
lame
laze
blaze
blade
glade
glad
lad
lead
led
fed
feed
fee
wee
weed
tweed
'tween
twee
tee
tea
eat
ate
sate
sane
vane
vine
tine
sine
sing
singe
minge
(Couldn't resist the rare opportunity to use this word.)
mange
range
grange - a farm owned by a religious house
grunge
(A rather repellent form of music, which takes the worst parts of Rock and Punk and throws away any possible redeeming features of either genre.)
grudge - a perfectly reasonable attitude to hold towards persons perpetrating the above music.
Rudge
(A British bicycle maker. May still be in business. used to have the slogan 'Why trudge it when you can Rudge it.")
drudge
dredge
dredged
dredger
dredges (This feels like kicking the can down the road!)
I agree. We could possibly kick it thorough a few more almost incestuous twists and turns, but is it worth it?
Let's restart with...
it
fit
fat
fate
feat
neat
near
earn
learn
yearn
year
wear
swear
sear
scar
scat
cats
cans
cane
acne
acre
care
scare
share
spare
and I'm not buying it
spark
parks
perks
peaks
speak
spake
spoke
smoke
smote
smite
mite
mate
date
dare
dear
fear
reaf
ref
red
reed
seed
steed
steel
(Cold or otherwise, they still don't like it up 'em.)
steal
teal
tale
tile
tilt
wilt
silt
stilt
stile
stole
stale
steal
teal
Seal
seat
seam
steam
stem
step
steep
sleep
sheep
seep
weep
weed
deed
deem
seem
Shem (One of the sons of Noah.)
sham
ham
hem
them
the
thee
theme
Thyme
Thome
it is a last name
if it counts
if not, ignore it
home
Homer - either the writer or the pigeon
comer
comet
comes
cores
cares
dares
Well, that took a turn.
bares
wares
wires
wiles
wills
swill
swell
spell
spelt
pelt
melt
welt
wilt
gilt
hilt
kilt
kiln
kin
kine
sine (as in sine wave)
shine
shin
ship
whip
hip
hop
top
stop
stomp
stamp
tamp
(As in tamping down the gunpowder in a cannon or muzzle loading weapon before adding the projectile. Or indeed tamping down concrete to get a smooth and bubble free surface.)
tramp
tram
cram
cream
dream
ream
ram
ramp
rump
trump
tump - colloquial name for a natural or manmade hillock, probably from the Old English
tup
(What shepherds call a Ram)
cup
cap
chap
chat
chant
cant
(A specialised language or patois, like Thieves cant, gypsy cant, etc.)
scant
slant
slat
slate
skate
spate
spat
past
cast
caste
haste
chaste
chase
phase
phage
page
pale
pole
pone
pony
peony
penny
petty
patty
as in Peppermint, not me!
pasty
paste
haste
waste
baste
beast
yeast
feast
feat
fat
fax
flax
flag
flat
float
gloat
goat
boat
bot
both
botch
batch
bitch
witch
switch
swatch
watch
wench
bench
hench
Tench
A species of fish.)
trench
wrench
wretch
retch
etch
fetch
felch
(I wish I hadn't looked that one up, Patti ;-(
belch
beach
reach
Sorry, but it was the only word I knew that I could go to at that point. We seemed locked in a loop.
each
You're forgiven, knowledge is knowledge, even if it's unwanted ;-)
ache
ace
lace
lack
lock
lick
slick
slice
Alice
alive
alike
like
line
lime
time
mite
mitre
mire
more
tore
store
stone
stove
shove
shovel
hovel
hove
(A sailing ship stopped mid-ocean by swinging some of her yards round so that the wind was driving some of her sails forward and some of them back. It involved a fair bit of heaving so that's what it was called - heaving to. When it was done she was hove to. Aren't these games educational?)
rove
To roam or amble aimlessly.
There is another meaning, which Jo probably knows. When a rope is 'reeved' (the verb) through the pulleys on a 'block and tackle' it is said to have been rove (the noun for the completed state).
grove
grave
grate
great
treat
threat
heart
hart
tart
tarot
trot
rot
root
soot
loot
loom
zoom
zoo
too
tool
loot
boot
boat
bat
bet
wet
net
next
text
test
vest
vets
pets
pits
pith
pitch
witch (I know, everything has to be about me...)
itch
itchy
bitchy
bitch
butch
bunch
hunch
lunch
munch
much
such
suck
stuck
shuck
shock
hock
hack
whack
shack
shark
hark
lark
lack
black
block
brock - a badger
rock
frock
flock
lock
loch
loach - a fish
roach
broach
(As in making a hole in metal using a broaching tool. This is, basically, a very tough and very serious punch. Like a paper punch, but with many tons of pressure behind it. Unlike drilling the holes don't have to be round.(
Brach
the candy people
bract - a bit of a plant
tract
track
truck
struck
Strunk
and White
shrunk
shrank
shrink
shrine
shine
sine
sin
sun
bun
bund - an often temporary seawall to permit construction unhampered by flooding
bond
not James or anything
blond
blind
bind
bend
send
rend
rent
rant
grant
grunt
brunt
burnt
burn
urn
turn
turd
curd
cur
cure
curse
purse
nurse
Norse
horse
hose
those
these
theme
heme
the part of the blood that is quite important
hemp
heap
heal
peal
leap
lean
glean
glen
gen
(As in information)
gene
gone
done
Now you've gone and done it.
cone
cope
scope
score
scare
care
cape
caper
taper
tapes
vapes
gapes
grapes
graves
gravel
ravel
rave
rave
cave
crave
brave
brace
trace
track
truck
ruck
=====
A fight or scuffle. generally not too serious.
'We got into a bit of a ruck at closing time, but when the landlord called the police we were all friends again before the blue shufflers turned up looking to feel our collars.'
duck
dock
sock
mock
smock
smack
snack
knack
knock
Nock
(The groove on the feathered end of an arrow where the bow-string fits.
hock - that part of a horse's hind leg that my mother described as "the sticky-out bone at the back"
hack
(Can be done stealthily with a computer - if you know how - or far more obviously and basically with a machete.
It's strange that the same word can have both meanings. The computer hacker manipulates, the man with a machete dismembers.)
whack
shack
shark
hark
hare
hear
bear
bar
tar
tab
tub
tuba
tuna
tune
rune
rude
prude
pride
ride
rode
rove
rive
drive
driven
riven
raven
craven
craved
crave
cave
cape
cane
Dane
done
gone
gonk (remember those?)
honk
hunk
thunk
chunk
chuck
chock
check
chick
thick
hick
chick
click
lick
lock
flock
clock
crock
frock
rock
race
rack
track
trace
trade
tread
thread
thready - as of a pulse
great word, been sitting here for days
so
ready
reedy
needy
nerdy
nerd
herd
heard
beard
bard
card
cord
core
score
scope
cope
tope
(A fish. Or also as a verb, meaning to drink alcohol.)
hope
hype = what many a hope turns out to be
type
tyre
tire
tier
tied
tide
tine
pine
spine
spin
spit
sprit
sprat
spat
pat
peat
leat
A Cornish drain system, sometimes open but often underground. Usually big enough for a small man to wriggle along inside and clean out any blockages.
meat
mate
pate
late
sate
state
spate
spite
spire
aspire
praise
That's shifting more than one letter, but I think we were stuck anyway, so let's run with it. From Praise to...
raise
rise
rose
nose
note
rote
Rotel
It's a popular cheese dip here.
Hotel
motel
mote
moth
meth
math
(Just to show that I will, occasionally, use an American spelling if it suits my purpose. But we all know that mathematics ends with an 's', therefore the abbreviation should also.)
mate
(An abbreviation should also have a . at the end of it. A foreshortening is just the first few letters or even a new word, as in fax. Calculus is just calc and not calcs even over there, right?)
gate
(Divided by a common language, Patti ;-) Although I could argue that English, in its many forms, is in fact a very uncommon language, far more malleable than many others.)
gat - an alternative name for a gatling gun
git
(Shortened form of illegitimate, which in itself is a much shorter form of saying progeny of an extra-marital relationship.)
JO: Gat is also a term used for any cheap and often badly made handgun. What American detective novels would often refer to as a 'saturday night special'.
Over here we had a type of badly made and pretty damned pointless air pistols sold under the 'Gat' label. Nasty cheap pressed steel things. I can recall when the basic one cost 25 shillings, and if you were sufficiently deranged you could buy a chrome-plated one for 30 shillings. They all had a horrendously heavy trigger pull, and you were more likely to hit a target by spitting at it ;-)
Gyppo
tit - a charming small bird, of course; or the kind of guy who spends extra dosh chrome-plating his gun!
tot
(A small child or the Royal Navy label for the daily rum ration.)
tote
tole
(A style of painting associated with narrowboats.)
toll
associated with fee for passing privileges
troll
(What would it do for a troll's credibility if he was claustrophobic and couldn't bear to live under his alloted bridge. A troll swinging in a hammock alongside his bridge would present a very different image, wouldn't he?)
trill (What about if the troll was swinging in his hammock and doing bird impressions?)
JO: That cries out for a drawing. If little Frogg was still an active member I'd offer it to her as an artistic challenge.
Sadly she seems to have vanished.)
Trull
(Old word for a prostitute. Possibly Shakespearian era.)
crull
curly or curled
cruel
gruel
"Can I have some more, Sir?"
gluer
glue
grue
(To shiver or shudder, or to feel a strong aversion to something or someone.)
rue
true
truce
truck
trick
track
tack
tick
stick
stack
shack
whack
hack
hank
sank
shank
shark
sharp
harp
(It's just occurred to me that if all angels automatically get issued with a harp, along with the wings and halo, I hope there's someone there to teach them how to play the damned things. Imagine the cacophony otherwise.)
Do you know Kipling's poem about the souls of the jolly, jolly mariners struggling to fit in with the Heavenly Choir? - "Our thumbs are rough and tarred, and the tune is something hard - may we lift a deep sea chanty such as seamen use at sea?" They end up saying, "Take back these golden fiddles, and we'll beat for open sea."
Anyway...
harm
hare
(I always understood the defiance of the ancient mariners. They weren't geared up to live a life of ease. They wanted what they knew.
In some ways it reminds me of a line from one of the Rambo films. Some 'suit' asks "How can you expect a man to live through that kind of hell?"
To which his boss replies, "What you call hell, he calls home."
===
dare
date
data
ata
as in "ata boy"
ate
pate
late
tale
sale
shale
shalt
("Though shalt not pass.")
salt
malt
halt
haft
(handle of a spear)
shaft (ditto)
shat
(Past tense of the more familiar word, and a verb rather than a noun. Still in fairly common use in rural communities.)
spat
not sure if this is the spitting long ago spat or the argument spat, but here it is.
spot
post
pose
posse
Losse
a place in Germany
loose
moose
morose
morse
more
mare
mar
bar
barn
burn
burp
burl
(As in a 'knotted' piece of wood. Can be a nightmare to work with, but often looks really good when done properly.)
furl - to bundle up a sail either because you're finished with it or you want to reduce the effect of a strong wind
curl
curt
cult
cull
Which seems like a viable and perfectly reasonable response to some cults ;-)
call
hall
halt
hart
tart
tarn - an upland pond
tare
(Biblical weed.)
rare
rate
grate
grape
grope
rope
rove
Dove
cove
coven
oven
even
event
vent
vend
bend
rend
rent
rant
or maybe that's just me
cant
(Which is different from can't.)
chant
chants
charts
harts
like the deer
parts
arts
Which can be either genuine or pretentious depending on who's talking.
rats
ruts
(Verb or noun, take your pick.)
roots
boots
boost
roost
root
robot
bot
bit
(As in 'Patti took a bit of a liberty', taking out two letters at the same time.)
bite
site
size
seize
seine
As in a type of fishing net.
eine
fine
file
mile
mole
mote
dote
date
dale
dame
came
fame
fate
feat
fat
flat
flit
slit
slot
Sloth
cloth
clothe
clothed
clotted
slotted
spotted
spotter - a plane used for observation
shotter
(The man who lays the explosive charges for underground blasting in mines.)
hotter
me, when I was younger
Totter
(The rag and bone collection man.)
"Ragbo...."
https://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-tot1.htm
trotter
rotter
rotten
rotted
robbed
robben - something in the rigging of a tall ship
this has languished for days
robed
roved
roped
loped
loved
lover
hover
(Another bit of bird lore for Gyppo: in parts of the country the kestrel was called the wind-hover.)
hoover
Either the big hydro-electric dam or the vacuum cleaner.
JO: There's a 'Wind-hover Roundabout'just a few miles from where I live.
hooter
looter
looted
lofted
(When decoy pigeons are set up in high trees they are referred to as being 'lofted', using, rather unsurprisingly, 'lofting poles.)
lofter
loiter
goiter
gaiter
baiter
bailer - a nifty little bucket sized to fit your bilges and facilitate the removal of water from your boat before it becomes a submarine.
tailer
Basically a sliding wire loop on a stick for hooking fish from the water. Locks on around the 'wrist' of the tail. Unlike a gaff-hook this allow you to return the fish unharmed if it's not for the pot.
Often has another loop to snug around the wrist of the angler/poacher. Pretty well essential if it's a hefty fish.
Gyppo
tailed
failed
nailed
mailed
mauled
hauled
hauler
hailer (loud!)
hailed
jailed
mailed
miled
mile
mule
mole
pole
pore
pure
lure
lute
flute
fluter
(Even if pedantic sods would call the flute player a flautist.)
flutter
fluster
bluster
cluster
luster
(As in one who lusts, as opposed to the American meaning of this spelling which would indicate a gleam or a shine. But feel free to go in either direction.)
ulster - a raincoat with a shoulder cape, often worn by Sherlock Holmes
rustler
You can move two letters if it's the last Friday of the month, right?
rustle
(Laura. I think we can if things are getting stalled.)
hustle
bustle
subtle
sublet
doublet (OK, two again, but Gyppo said we could if we were stuck...)
double
rouble
Ruble
rubble
bubble
bumble
humble
mumble
umble - offal, the filling of the original umble pie, which later became humble pie, a dish served to the unduly proud.
amble
gamble
gable
sable
stable
table
fable
cable
coble - a small open fishing-boat native to the north-east of England
cobble
(Either as a verb or a noun, take your pick.)
wobble
Womble
wimble
(A hand tool for boring, such as an auger.)
(Or an awl. Well, that's a new one to me, Gyppo.)
wimple
simple
Jo: Wimble was a new one to me as well ;-) I was doing the vowel exchange shuffle and wimble felt as if it should be proper word. So I looked it up.
sample
ample
maple
male
make
fake
fyke
dyke
(But what's a fyke, Gyppo?)
DIKE
JO: A long tube shaped net used as a fish trap, held open with hoops. Inside are a series of net cones, which make it easy for fish to get in but less likely to get out.
Usually used with a couple of net wings, which hang curtain-like, with a weighted footrope, and encourage fish into the throat of the net, and then down on through the cones.
Used on tidal rivers and estuaries. Thus the fish come in with the tide, swimming past the nets, and then get caught as the tide ebbs and the fish return to deeper waters.
Can be used on still-water lakes if the fyke is baited.
Gyppo
like
line
(This site is so educational, Gyppo!)
fine
=====
Jo: Knowledge. It's one of the reasons we are writers. We're the ones who eagerly turn the page and read beyond the headlines. We can write a 'study notes' precis, but we feel the need to know more before we do so.
We accumulate strange facts, we collect arcane, archaic, and even esoteric knowledge which would normally be known only to a specialist group, and wrap it up in our generalist bag of memories. It's one of the reasons non-writers either love us, or hate us. Sometimes we're quite shocked to realise other people don't process and store information the way we do.
===
find
fund
fond
frond
front
font
Mont
as in Blanc
mount
Count
court
curt
cure
curse
nurse
purse
purge
surge
spurge
splurge
Yeah, right! Can I change one and move another? -
plunges
lunges
lungs
bungs
bunks
banks
barks
larks
lurks
lunks
bunks
bucks
buck
Let's get rid of that damned 's'.
suck
hahahahah I put the s back, but at the other end
tuck
stuck (Sorry, Gyppo - but at least an S isn't a Y!)
stack
slack
lack
lark
park
dark
dart
fart
hart
hare
share
sharp
harp
carp
cart
part
port
sort
sport
snort
short
shore
shorn
scorn
score
core
tore
rote
dote
date
rate
grate
grape
gripe
tripe
trip
strip
stripe
strike
Shrike
shrine
Strine
The Australian language, as pronounced by a genuine Aussie.
strike
trike
tribe
trice
thrice
Thrace
(Thrace (Θρᾴκη Thrakē) is the ancient name given to the southeastern Balkan region, the land inhabited by the Thracians.)
My rag-bag recall knew it was a real word, but I had to look up where it was located ;-) I have a lot of words like that, accumulated over the years, some with a footnote and many without.
trace - not just a sign but a leather strap connecting a driving horse to its carriage. If the strap parts and the horse departs, he may be said to have vanished without a trace.
track
crack
cruck - a curved timber used as a roof support
ruck
A group of men fighting or struggling.
rusk
tusk
task
mask
ask
ark
arc
arch
parch
patch
latch
lath
lathe
bathe
bath
both
bothy
Bohy
It's a village in the Czech Republic.
boy
coy
cry
try
troy
A weighing system specifically for precious metals. For those who don't understand why you need a special system for precious metals, when weight is weight, try this explanation from Wikipedia:
Troy weight is a system of units of mass that originated in 15th-century England. The troy weight units are the grain, the pennyweight (24 grains), the troy ounce (20 pennyweights), and the troy pound (12 troy ounces). The troy grain is equal to the grain unit of the avoirdupois system, but the troy ounce is heavier than the avoirdupois ounce, and the troy pound is lighter than the avoirdupois pound. One troy ounce equals exactly 31.1034768 grams.
An interesting use of the word "exactly". But everything's now crystal clear, isn't it?
tray
(Weights and measures are a law unto themselves, particularly old and archaic ones. But presumably they made sense at the time .)
bray
brat
bran
cran.
Basket used as a unit of measurement for herring catches back in the old days. Skippers dreamed of catching 'one hundred cran of the silver darlings...'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ov81aogaxg
crank
rank
rink
drink
drunk
trunk
thunk
think
chink
chunk
hunk
hank
lank
flank
plank
prank
frank - to cancel a stamp
frack
(A contentious method for extracting oil from the ground.)
crack = what's left after you frack
crick
What you sometimes find in your neck if you've fallen asleep with your head at a strange angle. If it's really bad you walk around looking as if you've been hanged, until the muscles relax again.
cruck - part of the timbering of an old roof
ruck
A fight or physical altercation involving a group of several people.
tuck
tick
tack
rack
race
rice
price
pride
pried
dried
died
diced
dived
rived
drive
driven
driver
drover
rover
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0Q8FMexFWM
rower
tower
towed
stowed
stewed
slewed
spewed
skewed
skewer
sewer
hewer
The miner at the coalface, with his pickaxe.
ewer
ewe (I'm sure I've told you about the time I saved my first editor a red face by pointing out that it was a 100-year-old yew she was writing about, not an amazingly ancient sheep.)
we
(Some stories are worth telling again.)
awe
awl
owl
cowl
bowl
bawl
ball
mall
mail
pail
fail
foil
toil
coil
soil
sail
ails
pails
pawls - the ratchets that act as a brake on a capstan
pals
(Coincidence, Jo. A week or so back I was explaining to Alma how the pawls in a bicycle free-wheel sprocket worked. It started with her question, "How does it know when you've stopped pedalling?)
(Life's just full of them, Gyppo.)
palsy
pally
(Jo: I couldn't live in a world without questions. If all questions had ben answered I'd have to question the veracity of the accepted answers.)
ally
(Thought for the Day, Gyppo: Education isn't about what you know. It's about what you know you don't know, and would like to.)
alley
(Very true, Jo. Long may curiosity reign.)
Salley (Broad leaved willow.)
sally
forth or not
salty
silty
silly
billy
filly
fill
frill
krill
kill
kiln
kin
sin
pin
pint
pine
spine
spite
spate
spade
shade
shale
hale
have
haven
haver
(To argue or procrastinate.)
paver
Pater
prate
pirate
irate
rate
rite
cite
city
pity
pith
with
Sith (Darth Vader's lot.)
shit (Somebody had to, so it might as well be me)
shat (Past tense of above.)
spat
spate
sate
seat
seal
With or without a ball balanced on its nose. Someone once tried to tell me the Presidential Seal was a traditional White House pet, (like the Downing Street Cat), which has been passed on from president to president over many years. It has not been seen since Trump took office. Maybe it was sold to a Norwegian seal-clubber as part of a trade deal.
=====
teal
meal
male
I want to know what the Presidential Seal is called. The Great Seal of the Realm, of which King Charles III is now the official owner, is called Basil. Give him a sardine and he'll play on a xylophone.
pale
pal
lap
lamp
ramp
tramp
trap
strap
strip
trips
tripe
stripe
stride
strive
shrive
shrine
shine
shone
hone
honey
money
coney
Old English - and still sometimes used in rural communities - word for rabbit.
cone
cane
cage
rage
page
pale
peal
teal
steal
stead
steed
steel
stele - a carved stone such as those found in pre-Columbian archaeology.
(Good one, Jo.)
Stale
stake
snake
sake
make
wake
woke
A new four-letter word ;-)
woe
wove
hove
home
hole
hope
rope
ripe
tripe
triple
ripple
Technically that's two moves, deleting the 't' and then adding a second 'p'. But...
Tipple
nipple
nipples
why stop at one?
ripples
ripple
ripper
riper
river
liver
sliver
skiver
skier
skied
skies
skips
ships
hips
hops
shop
stop
step
skep
(A traditional woven beehive.)
skip (a traditional means of avoidance when one has dropped a skep and the inhabitants are looking for revenge)
slip
(A bad thing to do when legging it from the enraged inmates of a disturbed skep.)
slap
swap
sap
(A short weighted club for rendering people unconscious. Usually a flexible but tough tube, leather or fabric, filled with lead shot or similar. Used properly it's as effective as a lead fist. Will break a collarbone, wrist, elbow or knee if used properly.)
(Also known as a blackjack, cosh or life-preserver. If you fill it with sand, it's easier to dispose of as necessary, and if that doesn't work you can always tell the police you're taking it home for the budgie's cage.)
tap (one is usually enough)
tip
(So that's why Mervin The Mugger had a budgie.)
tic (you may be left with one after an encounter with a sap)
tick
lick
pick
Q: How do you confuse an Irishman?
A: Offer him three spades and tell him to take his pick.
puck
puke
duke
dune
rune
prune
prone
probe
prove
trove (Is there any other use for the word except in conjunction with Treasure?)
Jo: Nothing springs to mind.
strove
strive
shrive
shrivel
shriven
shrive
We're in something of a linguistic loop here. Let's break out with a new word. I think we're all sufficiently shriven ;-)
Dog
dug
rug
rue
rut
rum
I miss Ma
drum
dram
dame
dam
ram
cram
cran
crank
rank
frank
frack
track
tack
tuck
stuck
stick
stock
shock
hock
hack
sack
sick
suck
shuck
shack
whack
hacks
packs
picks
pucks
plucks
clucks
chucks
chicks
clicks
clocks
flocks
flock
frock
brock - a badger
brook
rook
look
loop
lope
slope
slop
stop
step
steep
seep
see
seem
seam
steam
steal
teal
team
tame
time
tome
tote
rote
rove
cove
cave
carve
curve
curse
purse
There's a centuries old New Forest family called Purse. I've often wondered how they got the name. Is it a vocational name?
Did some distant ancestor make purses, or perhaps one of them was a notorious cut-purse?
It could of course be a corruption of something rather less respectable. It wouldn't take much linguistic effort to change the whore's house into the Purse house...
parse
pare
Jo: Or perhaps one of the originals was a ship's Purser,or 'keeper of the purse' for a big household.
Back in the days when many people couldn't read or write the Parish Clerk would sometimes change names quite unwittingly. When we went to register my Gran's death we discovered there'd been a mistake when her birth was registered. Eighty plus years of being Lorraina on every other bit of paperwork, when her birth certificate said Lorriana.
It's always amused me slightly to think that Lorriana, the spelling error, born in the late 1800s, has never officially been registered as dead.
Pear
pea
sea
sear
fear
fare
hare
hale
gale
sale
seal
peal
meal
male
tale
take
stake
Strake
(As in a 'rubbing strake'. A semi-sacrificial strip of wood fixed the bottom and or sides of a wooden built boat to provide some measure of protection when hauled up onto a stony beach or rubbing against a mooring.)
strike
Shrike (a bird of prey)
(Also known as the butcher bird, from its habit of hanging its prey on a thorn)
shrine
shine
spine
spire
aspire
aspires
aspired
praised
That's three letters! Still, I was stuck too.
prised
raised
Y'all anagram the words all the time. That was an anagram!
raise
rise
rite
trite
trait
krait - a venomous Asiatic snake
kraft (A make of cheese.)
raft
daft
deft
eft
(A Newt.)
left
loft
slot
No, you can't get away with that - both changing a letter and putting the new one somewhere else! Let's try
lost
post
pest
nest
nets
nuts
guts
cuts
scut - a rabbit's tail
scud (A type of missile.)
spud
spun
sun
sin
sine
I know it's math something, but I have no idea what it is other than not cosine
spine
shine
shive
shiv
(An improvised weapon, found in prisons, such as a plastic toothbrush handle which has been heated and shaped to make a bladed implement. Some plastics are more easily worked than others.
Alternate spelling is chiv. )
Patti: Thanks for the 'shive' which I had never heard of before.
I just know it from puzzles and never use it in speech.
shin
shun
shunt
hunts
hints
hinds
finds
fins
bins
buns
duns
dung
sung
sang
slang
slant
slat
sat
spat
spate
spite
sprite
sprit - the diagonal spar that extends the mainsail of a Thames sailing barge or similar. Pronounced, for reasons best known to bargees, as "spreet".
spit
pits
pets
pelts
welts
I am allergic to the dye used in one of my yarns, but I am too cheap to throw it away. So I can crochet for up to about 1.5 - 2 hours before the welts start to appear. So I have been limiting my time to one hour with that color and then move to a different project. Same yarn, different color, no welts or redness or itching or anything. That's why I think it is the dye.
wefts - the lengths of yarn which are woven through the stretched warps to create cloth.
lefts
as in the opposite of rights
lets
lest
best
beast
feast
feat
teat
tat
cat
scat
scar
scare
scarf
swarf - the metal filings etc that make up the dust in engineering workshops
Sharf
To shit and barf simultaneously. Usually done when something foul is ingested or when one has the flu and diarrhea at the same time.
shard
hard
herd
heard
beard
bread
read
reed
freed
creed
creel
(Fisherman's basket, if he needs more kit than he can carry in his pockets.)
reel
real
peal
pearl
Earl
farl (a soda farl is the steel-reinforced concrete of the baking world)
Jo: That's a fair description of a lot of soda bread.
=====
Carl
Norse or Danish for a hired free man, as opposed to a slave. A non-servile servant. In some households the housecarls were employed as bodyguards. In others they were just trusted servants.
cart
curt
hurt
hurl
churl
churn
chump
hump
pump
pomp
pimp
imp
i'm
him
dim
dime
time
tame
tamp
stamp
swamp
swam
swan
swank
shank
sank
sunk
bunk
bank
band
wand
hand
hind
kind
kin
king
ring
rung
mung
mug
tug
thug
hug
hag
bag
bang
bank
rank
rang
range
grange - a farm in the ownership of a monastery
ganger
Foreman in charge of a group of manual workers.
hanger
hangar
sangar
Defensive dug-out position, usually with a low raised wall made of sandbags, or whatever is available if it's 'fit for purpose'.
sanger - exactly the same thing, both spellings are acceptable
singer
singe
hinge
henge
(As in Stonehenge.)
No one familiar with the English language will be surprised to learn that the only henge everyone has heard of isn't actually a henge at all. The definition of a henge, apparently, is an earthwork with an outer bank and an inner ditch, whereas Stonehenge has the ditch cut outside the bank.
wenge - a dark-coloured wood from the legume tree
wedge
edge
ledge
sedge
sledge
sludge
sludgy
Fair enough - I can't think of a next move either. Shall we reset with...
fudge
fuge
huge
hug
bug
bog
blog
blow
glow
low
slow
show
shoe
shone
hone
hove
hovel
shovel
shove
shoved
shaved
slaved
saved
raved
Raven
graven
Funny how it's only images that are graven: everything else is engraved
Gravel
Jo: Graven... One of those words which usually appears only in a biblical or liturgical context, and as such follow their own archaic set of rules.
ravel - to knit. Hence unravel, which is almost an orphan negative.
rave
cave
crave
crate
create
Crete (The island)
crate
rate
grate
grape
gripe
grope
rope
rove
love
glove
Gleve
A medieval polearm, with a fancy blade on six feet or more of wooden staff. Designed to be used for chopping, thrusting, and hooking. Very unwieldy without a lot of practice. Narrows the odds a little when used by a man on foot against a mounted opponent.
glebe - an area of land within a parish, the income from which is used to support the parish priest
Grebe (A species of waterfowl.)
=====
We have a 'glebe meadow' just a few miles away. It is just across the road from a now-demolished church. Whether it's oncome still supports a priest I have no idea. I haven't been near the place for years, since being traumatised by the sight of people 'line dancing' there ;-)
But would it have been any less traumatic if they'd been morris dancing? The Upton-Upon-Severn stick dance has been known to make strong men turn pale and whimper.
Greme - a village in the partially-recognised state of Kosovo in the Balkans.
Grime
(I have no fear of Morris Dancers, but the robotic array of Line Dancers make me think of the killer dolls in the film 1968 Barbarella.
crime
(There's a strong case for making both morris and line dancing one.)
rime (As in frost.)
(I think there's enough crimes without making new ones. Terry Pratchett often used the phrase 'folk dancing was perpetrated ;-)
He also invented the 'Silent Morris', sometimes referred to in a more sinister way as 'The Other Morris'. Danced silently and with grim intent. Allegedly their own take on this concept was danced by Wolf's Head Morris outside a book shop where Pratchett was doing book signings.
time
tome
tomb
comb
come
came
camel
cavel
cave
cage
Mage
made
mare
maze
haze
hale
halt
hilt
hill
shill
shall
stall
stale
steal
steam
stream
scream
scram
scam
scamp
camp
carp
cart
cant
cast
vast
vase
vane
pane
pale
pile
tile
stile
stilt
silt
slit
slot
There was once an American glossy 'Top-Shelf' magazine called 'Hot Slots'.
As you can imagine it wasn't a trade magazine about coin operated vending machines ;-)
(Thirty years ago I could get on my horse by means of a two-step stepladder. Now I need a five-step one. I imagine it's the same for ageing top-shelf twitchers.)
Shot
shat
Rural past tense. "I was so frit I shat mi pants."
what
hat
haft - the hilt or handle of a knife
waft
(As in the well-known Spoonerism about a man who was 'well known for his waft of shit'.)
raft
rift
rife
rifle
trifle
trifles
trifled
(Is this can getting kicked any further down the road?)
If you insist on draining the last dregs of possibility...
rifled
As in the spiralled grooves in a rifle barrel, which make the bullet spin.
OR...
The prowling pervert rifled through her underwear drawer in his search for a suitably frilly trophy.
I won't object if some one choses new word to start again, instead of using riffled.
How about we change two letters and make it
fled
?
flee
flea
lea
leak
peak
peek
seek
seed
reed
freed
fried
tried
tired
fired
filed
tiled
tilted
wilted
willed
filled
milled
miller
tiller
taller
tailer
A sliding loop on a stick for hauling large fish - such as Salmon - from the water. Does far less damage than a gaff, which is important when you want to return them afterwards.
Or, you could just leave them alone unless you want to eat them...
trailer
trailed
=====
Jo: I've probably spent nearly as much time just watching trout as I have catching them ;-) Somewhere I have poem about flicking pellets of bread to a trout on a sunny day, with no intention of catching it.
Never been too impressed by catching anything unless it's potentially edible. Smaller ones have to go back.
===
railed
nailed
jailed
failed
bailed
hailed
hauled
mauled
mailed
miled
as a runner going the distance
smiled
soiled
spoiled
sported
spotted
potted
potter
poster
posted
posed
poised
poise
noise
nose
nosy
rosy
rose
rope
hope
"Nope!"
dope
dole
mole
Mele
melt
smelt
smolt
(Juvenile salmon or seatrout.)
molt
moult
mould
mound
pound
pond
pod
hod
hid
had
hand
sand
send
spend
sped
shed
shod
shoe
shore
score
scone
Can be pronounced to rhyme with gone or bone, and served with the jam either under or over the cream; but why on earth would a Scottish king want to sit on one?
sconce (Candle or lamp holder, fastened to a wall.)
Jo: Because Scots, King or commoner, are Scots and they all march to their own drum.
Probably true; but has anyone, Scottish or not, a word to follow SCONCE?
Quote from: Jo Bannister on November 06, 2023, 07:32:01 AMProbably true; but has anyone, Scottish or not, a word to follow SCONCE?
That is just evil.
I can't think of one either, so I'll do the decent thing and reset for you ;-)
Ent (One of the walking trees from lord of the Rings.)
BENT
bend
rend
trend
tread
trade
trace
race
rice
price
prick
pick
puck
luck
muck
mock
rock
rack
sack
sick
stick
stock
shock
shack
slack
lack
lock
mock
muck
tuck
tick
tock
dock
sock
suck
such
ouch!
touch
tough
rough
trough
through
thorough
(Feels like a dead end, but I'm happy to be proven wrong.)
Not by me, anyway. Shall we try...
great
grate
rate
rite
rile
rifle
trifle
trifled
trilled
thrilled
shrilled
Didn't take long to get stuck this time!
let's try
time
lime
slime
slim
slam
slum
plum
plume
flume
flute
flue
'flu
flub
(As in a wicket keeper who 'flubbed the catch'.
flab
as in ... well ...
slab
stab
swab
swat
swam
swan
wan
wane
pane
pant
plant
plane
plan
flan
fan
fat
feat
seat
neat
teat
treat
great
greet
green
gleen
glean
clean
cleat
Either a fitting on a boat, to secure a line or rope, or a metal stud on the sole of footwear.
cheat
cheap
heap
reap
rap
crap
cap
cape
caper
paper
taper
taped
tapped
rapped
rapper
crapper
crapped
scrapped
scraped
scraper
scrape
serape
Time for a reset?
stand
sand
send
spend
sped
seed
weed
week
Leek (The vegetable.)
leak (The issue for either the plumber or the CIA.)
weak
wear
ear
are
dare
dark
ark
park
pork
pirk
(An un-baited fishing lure which you jig up and down in the water until some poor fish, driven mad by your antics, attacks the (usually) brightly coloured intruder in its otherwise peaceful aquatic domain and bites the damned thing to punish it.)
irk
dirk
dire
fire
sire
spire
spite
Sprite
It's a type of soda, over here.
spritz
Spitz - various breeds of dog more closely descended from wolves than, for instance, the Pekingese.
shitz
When a 'rapper' has loose bowels.
shite
white
whit - either an excuse for Northerners (English) to have a parade, or a very small quantity of something.
hit
hut
hurt
curt
cart
care
scare
scale
We butchered a few scales, as well as chords, when Alma came over to 'Do Ukulele' with Grandad.
'Doing' is a good word choice at the moment. Some of it is almost melodic, but a lot of it isn't. My fingers are fighting me, they want to follow the QWERTY pattern, not the new things I'm trying to teach them.
But we made a 'joyful sound for about three hours, with a break for food and drink, and storytelling.
Gyppo
Sale
Perhaps scales on sale? Or Ukuleles.
ale
pale
peal
seal
seat
salt
halt
hall
fall
full
pull
mull
mill
sill
swill
swell
shell
shill
Well, I've never come across shill before. Fortunately, Wikipedia has.
hill
Years ago, at the height of the Troubles, there was a notorious kidnap episode involving a family called Hill. When they turned up safe and well a few days later, the province heaved a collective sigh of relief - and we carried the headline, "The Hills Are Alive"...
(Every now and then a headline writes itself.)
fill
fall
fail
flail
frail
rail
rain
Not had any for a couple of days. I've probably jinxed it by saying that. It's been nice not having damp cold. It's been even better seeing sky which isn't grey and seems to be hovering at rooftop height, pressing down.
brain
Haven't had any for a couple of days...
braid
raid
rid
('If in doubt, get rid.') Anyone who has spent a fortune on a 'money pit' of an old boat or motorcycle only to eventually sell it on at a loss knows this saying. But, fortunately for the old objects concerned, sometimes the heart rules the head.)
grid
grin
grind
grand
brand
band
Rand
South African currency.
rant
cant
As in a thieves or travellers 'secret' language.
scant
scan
span
swan
swat
spat
spit
(Having fun, but I need to go and eat something. I may be back later.)
spite
sprite
spritz
spitz
spit
spin
pins
puns
spun
span
spar
spear
pear
pare
spare
scare
cares
dares
darts
arts
star
tar
mar
mat
hat
halt
malt
melt
felt
either kind is okay
feat
teat
teal
seal
peal
pearl
Earl
early
dearly
nearly
nearby
I think you've stymied us all, Gyppo. Can I propose a synonym? -
close
closer
closed
cloned
clone
lone
lose
rose
prose
prise
arise
raise
braise
praise
praised
prised
prized
prize
pride
ride
rime
grime
grim
brim
rim
ram
cram
cramp
ramp
rump
dump
damp
Dame
fame
fare
fear
rear
real
peal
pal
pale
pole
poke
woke
coke
choke
chore
whore
whose
whole
hole
hale
sale
seal
meal (For an Orca.)
male (meal for a man-eating shark)
malt
(to wash it down)
salt (to season it)
silt
sill
pill
pile
tile
stile
stole
stoke
stroke
strobe
strode
stride
strife
strike
shrike - the butcher bird
shriek
Jo: I had a bet with myself that you'd post Shrike ;-)
Shrek
(You know me too well, Gyppo!)
Think I'm stymied, Chick. Unless someone can do better, can I make two moves and have
shirk
shire
hires
fires
fines
finest
infest
invest
invert
invent
intent
indent
invent
invert
inert
can I anagram?
niter
inter
enter
can I pretend to be an American? -
center
canter
Pretending to be a horse ;-)
ranter
keepin' it real ;-)
rafter
(Real? Round here?)
after
ofter
more often. Usually only used as a poetical or dialectical choice, or to use up your tiles in Scrabble.
softer
sorter
sorted
ported
When computer software is modified so it can run on a different operating system. Sometimes quite easy, other times a nightmare.
porter - the stiff drink you need when your computer is a nightmare
potter
patter
pater
mater (If we're resorting to Latin.)
master
caster
coaster
roaster
roster
rooster
rooter
router
routed
rooted
roofed
hoofed
hooted
hooter
hotter
jotter
rotter
rotten
rotted
potted
plotted
slotted
slatted
splatted
Seems I'm not the only one who's stuck. Can I propose...?
plaits
plats
plate
late
leat - an artifical channel supplying water to turn a mill wheel
cleat
clear
clean
clan
flan
fan
fang
bang
sang
sane
pane
panel
paned
caned
canned
tanned
banned
banded
One of the more memorable Acts of Parliament was that designed to smother the new-born trades union movement. It referred to people banding together to demand higher wages and was called The Combinations Act.
bander
sander
sunder
sender
slender
spender
spencer - a short jacket first adopted by Regency men, later by women
spence
Quote from: Jo Bannister on March 02, 2024, 08:23:27 AMspencer - a short jacket first adopted by Regency men, later by women
Also great trousers to wear when dancing Northern Soul in 70s and 80s - pegs or baggies. Used to have a few pairs myself.
pence
hence
henge (Stone or otherwise.)
Bizarrely enough, Stonehenge, which is the only henge most people have ever heard of, isn't actually a henge at all. It's all to do with the relationship of the surrounding ditches and banks. And the fact that archaeologists need to get out more.
wenge - a dark African wood
wedge
sedge
hedge
kedge - a subsidiary anchor
ledge
lede
lee
leg
keg
What I'm working my way through on a Sunday evening
peg
pea
sea
seam
seat
sear
swear
sweat
swat
shat (past tense)
shaft
haft (axe handle)
heft
weft (The horizontal thread in weaving on a loom. The vertical threads are the warp.)
wet
net
nest
rest
pest
pet
peat
pate
plate
pleat
cleat - a T-shaped widget to secure a rope to (except, as we all know, there aren't any ropes on a boat)
cleft
left
loft
soft
sift
rift
drift
draft
raft
craft
graft
grift
rift
rife
ripe
rile
file
fire
fir
sir
sin
din
dine
dune
rune
cune
cone
tone
bone
bane
mane
mare
tare
hare
bare
(If you see a bare hare hopping or bounding past, take care, something must have frightened it out of its skin.)
bear
(maybe that's what frightened the hare)
near
dear
deer
reed
creed
creep
crepe
creme
Cree
(American Indian Tribe.)
cere - the bare skin at the base of some birds' beaks
ere
here
her
herb
kerb
verb
vert
avert
overt
voter
Okay, I moved two letters.
voted
doted
dated
dazed
dared
dated
sated
salted
halted
halter
alter
later
late
slate
slake
stake
I once nearly had dinner with a girl who claimed she was a reincarnation of Joan of Arc. But she cancelled the date when I offered to take her to a steak house. I never even got a chance to mention the banana flambe dessert.
Gyppo
sake
wake
ware
wane
want
rant
grant
grunt
brunt
runt
run
pun
punt
pint
(Whatever do they do in fully metric countries, unlike the UK where we only pay it lip-service, when they fancy a quick one down the pub? "Alors, Francois, are you coming round the Cheval Blanc for half a litre?" just doesn't do it.)
pine
(No idea, Jo. I've been drinking with a Syrian, but never a Frenchman.)
spine
spin
pins
pink
punk
dunk
dank
rank
frank
franc
France
prance
prince
price
prick
trick
trice
truce
trace
track
crack
clack
slack
slick
licks
lick
lice
line
pine
spine
sine
sire
shire
shirt
skirt
skit
suit
suet
duet
duel
dull
mull
(As in mulled ale.)
moll
(gangster's girl, not Flanders)
roll
Troll
toll
tole
(Style of decorative painting, found on canal narrowboats and some gypsy wagons.)
pole
(sometimes used by bargemen before Amazon delivery)
pile
pine - what a bargeman's pole may be made of
pike
=====
Either a polearm weapon or a predatory freshwater fish, (or a gymnastic move if it comes to that.)
I used to smile at the mental image of Irish rebels 'shouldering their pike' and marching off to battle. Sometimes a sad looking thing hung dead in a useless curve, or a lively snapping length of piscine stroppiness, violently objecting to this misuse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s4o57zpRos
Gyppo
pie
useless for catching pike
tie
die
diet - what you might be tempted to do if offered pike
duet
dust
rust
lust
I remember being highly amused when I heard that Romances set in deserts were known as 'Lust in the dust' books by publishers.
Really? I've always thought of them as 'Getting randy where it's sandy'.
just
jut
jute
cute
scute - the armoured plate on the backs of some reptiles
scut - a rabbit's tail.
scud
scum
scam
scan
scant
cant
ant
rant
grant
grand
grind
rind
find
hind
hand
sand
stand
staid
said
paid
pair
par
car
scar
scat
shat (Past tense, archaic/rural.)
shaft
haft
hat
hate
gate
gale
hale
heal
peal
pale
pace
space
spice
spite
spire
aspire
aspired
Seems I'm not the only one who's stymied. Can I propose...?
spared
pared
paved
raved
rated
dated
dared
darted
darned
dared
fared
fated
sated
bated
=====
A hawk or falcon which has flung itself from the falconer's wrist and is hanging upside down from the jesses, usually with an unbelievable volume of noise merely by the frantically flapping wings is said to be 'bating'.
===
baited
waited
wasted
waisted
wristed
wrested
wrestled
wrestler
wrestle
trestle
I'm inclined to agree - nothing follows trestle. Shall we try...?
table
stable
tables
ablest (most able)
blest - a somewhat archaic form of blessed, still encountered in poetry
bless
bliss
Liss (A village in East Hampshire.)
lisp
A speech impediment named after the people of Liss, once notorious scrappers in whom front teeth were so rare that small children would scream if they saw any.
list
lift
loft
lost
lot
plot
Which is currently thickening quite nicely ;-)
Quote from: Gyppo on April 27, 2024, 12:28:10 PMplot
Which is currently thickening quite nicely ;-)
Good job.
.
slot
slat
spat
.
something my characters have just had
spate
spite
sprite
sprit
The diagonal spar extending the sails on a Thames sailing barge.
sprint
prints
When I first worked on the paper, we shared a photographic department with our sister publication and it was in their offices. We'd send off our film - this is a while back, yes? - and wait for it to be developed and the contact sheets returned to us; then we'd order what we wanted for the paper and wait again for the prints. Sometimes we'd still be waiting when the pages were being made up. I remember a tired and disspirited journo singing softly, "Some day my prints will come..."
;-)
pints
pines
spine
spins
spans
As in a multi-span bridge.
pans
pants
ants
tans
sans
tans if you happen to be a ginger
sane
(Always a relative term if you happen to be a writer.)
Quote from: Gyppo on April 30, 2024, 05:18:21 PM(Always a relative term if you happen to be a writer.)
Correct!
.
pane
plane
plank
lank
lack
lace
ace
acre
nacre
'mother of pearl'
crane
Oops I moved two
crone
prone
prune
(And incidentally, Gyppo, you shouldn't call Laura names.)
rune
I didn't. I just posted the word, and waited to see if anyone would pick it up as a possible allusion to Ms Havoc.
rine
rinse
rinsed
Don't think so... Can I move two?
raised
praised
prised
prise
rise
rite
rote
vote
vole
volt
jolt (comes from too close an acquaintance with volts)
jilt
I still have scars on my left hand from an electrical burn when I did something silly with electricity about sixty years ago. No ELCB circuit breakers to save me back then.
The scars have faded a bit, but I expect they'll outlast me even if I live to be 100.
silt
salt
slat
seat
feat
fear
near
earn
yearn
yarn
tarn - a small upland lake
tare
tart
tort - a legal misdemeanour
sort
port
pert
part
pare
spare
spark
stark
stank
stunk
stun
tun
Archaic unit of liquid measurement. By volume, not weight.
Also a barrel of the same capacity.
tuna
luna
lunk
junk
bunk
bunt - one of the vertical cloths that make up a square sail; buntlines running up the seams are used to furl it.
hunt
(Bunt is also an outside loop in aerobatics, where the pilot's head is on the outside of the circle rather than the inside as in a normal loop. Instead of the blood rushing towards the feet, which can cause a blackout, it rushes towards the head. One of those manoeuvres that only the right pilot in the right plane can safely pull off.)
I thought better of it...
hint
hind
(Never did your outside loop, Gyppo, but I've done a barrel roll, which is the same sort of thing on the other axis, and an inside loop, where you hit zero gravity and the fields appear in quite the wrong place.)
bind
find
(Jo: I looped a glider up above The Cairngorms. It was one of those 'time slowing down' moments, it seemed to last forever whilst I was seeing trees 'above my head'.)
fine
wine
wane
bane
bone
bond
fond
frond
front
font
fort
port
pore
pyre
lyre
lore
lord
lard
laird
lairy
lair
fair
hair
chair
chain
chin
hin
hun
hug
mug
bug
bun
bung
sung
dung
.
like rejection letters
rung
MC: Back in the days when every submission went through the postal system rejections, containing the returned manuscript, always landed on the floor inside the door with a definite thud. Acceptances were usually a single sheet in an envelope and they fluttered down like a butterfly.
Just occasionally the acceptance letter would be accompanied by several sheets of extra legalese telling you what was expected of their authors. With these the initial disappoint triggered by the thud changed to a new kind of happy bewilderment as you tried to work out what it all meant ;-)
Gyppo
rang
tang
The metallic part of a knife or file which extends up into the hilt or handle. Knives with a full length tang are inherently stronger than short-tanged versions.evit
Quote from: Gyppo on May 17, 2024, 11:02:36 AMBack in the days when every submission went through the postal system rejections, containing the returned manuscript, always landed on the floor inside the door with a definite thud.
I remember it well, Gyppo. I used to talk about my typescript "going off on its travels" - leaving home for a while, but fully expecting to return in due course.
tank
thank
.
I read a story the other day, can't remember where, of an author who could tell the sound of an acceptance or rejection by the sound it made.
lank
=====
Jo: Writing short articles on how best to package and post your submissions was a nice little earner too ;-)
===
Perhaps the only reliable way of making a living as a writer is to write about having your writing rejected.
blank
bank
bark
lark
park
pirk
A type of fishing lure, normally for boat fishing but could be used off a pier. Unlike a spinner, which is trailed behind a boat or repeatedly cast out and reeled back in, a pirk is jerked vertically up and down in the water.
I have heard various explanations as to why this attracts fish, but my theory is that it simply infuriates them until they attack it.
Most lures, to some extent, emulate the natural movement of a prey species. Some, like fancy fishing floats, are more clearly designed to catch fishermen rather than fish ;-)
I'm not sure what food source jumps up and down like a kid on a trampoline ;-)
Gyppo
(A kid on a trampoline, if you're a passing leopard.)
dirk
dire
hire
hide
chide
chine
The Isle of Wight has several of these geological features.
So does a small boat, built out of essentially flat pieces that meet at an angle.
shine
shone
stone
stoner
toner
tone
cone
coney
honey
phoney
phone
hone
done
dome
dope
hope
cope
core
ore
more
move
movie
moxie
I think you've got us beat with that one, Gyppo. Can we try?...
foxy
fox
cox
con
ton
tone
bone
bore
bare
bear
bean
bane
lane
late
elate
elite
Elise
Elsie
Else
ease
pease
As in 'pease pudding'. (Which I have not eaten, or even seen, for over sixty years.
Peas
apes
japes
jades
Hades
shade
shady
shaky
snaky
sneaky
sneak
speak
steak
stake
slake
lakes
fakes
fake
take
tale
table
cable
coble - a small open boat traditionally used for fishing off the north-east coast of England.
noble
nobble
cobble
bobble
wobble
wobbler
=====
I nearly threw one today whilst spending most of the day on the phone trying to sort out a billing and disconnection problem for my elderly friend.
Let's just say I'm not impressed by the energy supplier OVO.
Individually their phone-help people tried hard, when I finally clicked through all the options, but at the end of the day they all assume that their system should work just fine. When it didn't they tried to blame the electricity people.
The lady at southern electric said this seemed to be OVO's default setting. She did their remote bit and assured me there was nothing wrong with the supply going into the house.
OVO tried to convince me one of her trip switches must have gone. I humoured them by turning them all off and then back on, but none of them had tripped.
By 5PM her freezer and fridge had been off all day, which isn't a major problem if you leave the doors shut.
At 87 she should have stuck with the key meter. That was a simple system that anyone could work. Once you start talking about websites, and paying your bill by keying in the numbers on your credit card using your cellphone, then it's no use to someone who doesn't have a cellphone.
When OVO gave me instructions on how to reset the meter I couldn't read the messages on their shitty little display.
I remember when meters were mechanical, and had proper black numbers on a white background. Not digital soup.
This modern online world isn't designed to be pensioner friendly. Businesses expect you to phone them, (if you can find a phone nuber), or message them, or use their F***ing chatbot. (Which they believe can answer 99% of questions. Which it possibly can, if you can frame the question in a way some artificial 'intelligence' can understand ;-)
It's all designed to save them the hassle of dealing with real life human beings. Even incredibly polite and well mannered ones like me.
=====
I may be able to do some quite complicated repairs/swaps to the hardware on my computer, but I'm one of that 'lost generation' who never learned to programme a VCR or change the settings on a digital watch.
What she really needs is a proper bill, and a direct debit. I have a proper energy bill, which I always manage to pay online. I always go a bit pale when I see it, but it's remarkably consistent and I make sure I have the money to pay it. I will change it to a smaller but more regular direct debit when I get around to it.
I already pay my internet bill that way, and that works out well enough.
Her daughter handles her money, but definitely dropped the ball on this one. She insists that they never asked for a bloody 'smart meter'or a change of supplier in the first place. She tells me she will switch back.
We shall see.
Gyppo
cobbler
(and more than one of them to Customer Service departments that don't serve their customers)
nobbler
One who deliberately damages horses or racing dogs so they won't perform to their expected - and gambled upon - level on race days.
hobbler - one of the aforementioned racing dogs or horses which has met with a nobbler
hobbled
gobbled
gabbled
That double b is bloody persistent, isn't it?
gabled
tabled
stabled
stable
sable
sabre
saber
saver
saved
caved
caned
canted
panted
painted
tainted
tinted
hinted
hinged
hinges
binges
singes
singer
swinger
stinger
stringer - a structural timber in a boat or staircase
stranger
strange
strangle
Looks like we're stymied. How about?...
tangle
tingle
tinge
"Ting!"
The sound of an old school cash resister, or bus conductor's ticket punch, or a proper mechanical shop doorbell.
sing
ping
pig
fig
fog
foe
woe
won
ton
con
coin
loin
lion
ion
icon
con
can
scan
span
spin
spun
pun
Hun
shun
shin
shine
spine
spite
shite ;-)
white
whit
As in "I don't give a whit for your opinion, Sir!"
noun
The smallest part, particle, bit, or degree; a little; a jot, tittle, or iota: often used adverbially, and generally with a negative.
An obsolete or dialectal form (surviving especially in old compounds, as whitleather, Whitsun, etc.) of white.
hit
The possible response form the opinionated Gentleman.
chit
chat
chant
cant
scant
scat
scar
car
cart
care
case
cast
east
feast
fast
last
least
lest
test
best
west
wets
pets
pest
test
teat
tear
rear
rare
rate
crate
crater
cater
later
Gater
gate
agate
abate
abase
abuse
amuse
muse
ruse
rust
trust
truss
trugs
tugs
thugs
hugs
hogs
hags
bags
brags
bras
brass
bass
boss
loss
toss
tots
rots
rats
cats
scat
scant
scent
cents
Ents
Those walking and talking trees from Lord of The Rings.
sent
send
scend - the general trend of the sea as produced by a combination of tides and currents
scene
scent
stent
spent
pent
pant
part
art
hart
hate
That's two changes! And what's with the new axe-murderer photo, huh?
mate
mite
smite
smile
simile (good luck with that, guys!)
mislie
To lie in an uncomfortable position. Don't tell, but I moved more than one letter.
Don't blame you! Me too.
slime
slice
sluice
sliced
slicked
slicker
flicker
licker
locker
docker
docked
cocked
As in a firearm, ready to be fired
cooked
booked
Booker
(Well, we can all dream)
boomer
Word used to describe either adults of the post-war 'baby boomer' generation, or the nuclear missile carrying submarines.
zoomer
Gen Z
Zoomed
"Doomed!" (We're all Doomed!
domed
homed
home
hame
(Part of a draught horse's working harness.)
ham
sham
shame
shape
shade
shale
hale
Halt!
hilt
holt
(An Otter's den.)
Hole
Mole
mote
motte (and bailey)
matte
matter
natter
nutter
butter
cutter
Either the self-mutilator or the Customs & Excise vessel.
cutler - someone who makes cutlery
butler
(Someone who watches lesser servants polish the cutlery.)
Ah, but then a real butler blows on the knives and gives them a finishing touch with his cuff. It's called the Butler's Rub.
bustler - someone in a hurry
hustler
hustle
rustle
rustled
rusted
Like my elderly neighbour's lawn mower. Apparently she used it a couple of times when she first moved in, but it was already a bit too heavy and awkward. That was about twelve years ago.
If it had been an old fashioned mechanical 'push mower' I might have been interested in trying to salvage it, but twelve year old electrics don't appeal to me at all.
I'll drag it out to the front for her one day, so the scrap man can take it away. But first she has to find the, key so she can unblock the side gate. I don't fancy lugging it through her house in case I damage something en-route.
Gyppo
busted
dusted
lusted
lasted
slated
slanted
planted
panted
ranted
rated
dated
doted
doled
soled
sold
solid
stolid
staid
OK, I changed two letters - so shoot me
said
raid
braid
brad
=====
Those smallish metallic studs which hammered into the soles and heels of workboots or school shoes to make them a bit more hardwearing, and noisy.
The headmistress at my sister's school complained about the noise she made clopping around the corridors, but she wasn't the only one with 'thrifty' parents. I suspect the headmistress felt it was a bit 'working class', and young ladies from the grammar school should be quieter and more dignified than their big brother from The 'Secondary Modern'.
If you found a low wall at a comfortable height you could sit there swinging you leg back and forth, engaging in the traditional Northern pastime of 'Sparking Clogs'.
We used to use Dad's 'snobbin' foot', a portable cobbler's last, to replace them ourselves once they were worn enough to not spark properly.
===
bard
hard
hare
hear
wear
swear
sear (One of the internal parts in a firearm's trigger mechanism. Or what you do to a steak to seal in the juices.)
seer
steer
steed
teed
tee
tea
.
it's almost that time of day.
teal
steal
steam
stem
stems
steps
skeps
(Traditional woven beehives.)
skips
ships (Verb or noun, your choice.)
chips
chins
chine
cine
fine
pine
pike
spike
spire
aspire
spirea - the meadowsweet
spires
spares
pares
parks
spark
spar
spare
stare
tares
tears
teats
tents
rents
rants
ants
tans
taps
tape
cape
caper
cater
caver
saver
saved
staved
stoved
(The ships wooden sides were stoved in by the relentless pressure of the ice.
stoned
stored
store
sore
sort
sot (Archaic term for severe drunkard.)
Scot
cots
cats
pats
pate
pale
peal
pearl
Earl
real
reap
read
ream
bream - several species of fish
bread
bred
breed
creed
freed
fried
(My brain, after listening to my elderly neighbour's family problems.)
Hey Ho. (This is my karmic punishment for turning down an invitation to join The Samaritans many years ago ;-)
fries
cries
crimes
chimes
chives
hives
hoves
(Two uses at sea. A ship "hoves into view" when she comes hull-up over the horizon. But then she can be "hoved down" to get at the weed growing under her hull.)
hopes
hops
chops
chips
ships
whips
hips
hiss
miss
moss
mops
hops
hopes
homes
holes
doles
dales
deals
seals
seas
seats
sets
pets
pest
best
beat
feat
fate
rate
crate
cater
caper
taper
taped
tapped
capped
camped
camper
camber
caber - a telegraph pole that, for some reason best known to themselves, Scots like tossing
cuber
(An overly precise preparer of pineapple chunks.)
tuber
tubes
tunes
runes
runs
ruts
rust
ruse
rise
prise
price
rice
rich
rick
(as in hay.)
brick
trick
trice
thrice
Thrace - historically, that bit of land between Bulgaria and Turkey
I wondered how you'd get out of that one, Jo ;-)
But you left me an easy option...
trace
For which I'm grateful after a tedious and trying day.
Damn nearly gave up, you sod!
brace
braze
brazen
Crazen
Not entirely convinced by 'crazen', (found some very strange things connected with computer games, demons, and paedophilia when I searched the word), so promptly backed out), but...
craven
raven
Quote from: Gyppo on August 21, 2024, 12:59:57 PMNot entirely convinced by 'crazen', (found some very strange things connected with computer games, demons, and paedophilia when I searched the word), so promptly backed out), but...
We can't make up words? NOW you tell me. Let's just say a group of crazed people is called a Crazen.
rave
raver
braver
beaver
leaver
lever
ever
aver
(obsolete) To assert, or prove, the truth of.
(Law) To avouch or verify; to offer to verify; to prove or justify.
To affirm with confidence; to declare in a positive manner, as in confidence of asserting the truth
laver
a basin for ablutions in ancient Jewish worship
layer
later
alter
altar
attar - an essential oil extracted from rose petals
Ha! - beat'cha... Let's have a reset.
scent
Well played, Jo ;-)
scant
scan
span
spun
shun
shin
chin
chine
shine
shone
hones
bones
bonus
onus
nous
noun
nun
bun
bud
bus
bugs
hugs
huge
Luge
lute
late
slate
slat
seat
seal
There are two main seal species in UK waters: the common seal and the grey seal. They are easy to tell apart. The common seal is rare and grey; the grey seal is brown and common.
meal
Quote from: Jo Bannister on September 03, 2024, 03:03:11 PMThere are two main seal species in UK waters: the common seal and the grey seal. They are easy to tell apart. The common seal is rare and grey; the grey seal is brown and common.
A bit like weasels and stoats then ;-)
The first is weaselly recognised, and the second is stoatally different.
Gyppo
In Ireland we only have stoats. But we call them weasels.
meat
meal
real
reap
ream
dream
dram
cram
cramp
camp
ramp
ream
roam
loam
loaf
leaf
flea
flee
fleet
sleet
sheet
sheen
seen
seem
deem
teem
team
seam
ream
ram
pram
prom
prim
prime
crime
grime
rime
rim
trim
trip
strip
strop
(I wonder if this is one of those regional things. I've heard Southerners describe someone as 'being stroppy', but I've only heard Northerners describe the same behaviour as 'getting in a strop'. As if it's a garment you put on or off at will.
Yorkshire folk seem to have degrees of stroppiness as well. Being 'in a bit of strop' is socially acceptable, but it's frowned upon to make too much of it.)
trope
rope
rote
rite
rile
rill
roll
droll
doll
dill
dell
dwell
swell
wells
bells
belly
jelly
jolly
folly
golly
holly
holy
hold
fold
folk
yolk
Think you've stymied us there, Gyppo. Can I change two? -
hock
hook
book
boor
boon
noon
soon
swoon
swoop
stoop
sloop
loop
loon
boon
born
horn
shorn
shown
shewn
hewn
(As in 'the canal was hewn from solid rock, by human muscre and the occasional judicious use of dynamite.)
hen
Scottish term of endearment
pen
zen
den
dent
dene (deep valley, usually with some kind of watercourse at the bottom, or evidence that there once was aquatic erosion.)
dune
rune
prune
prone
crone
Crane
craze
crazed
razed
dazed
dared
fared
flare
flame
flume - a man-made water-channel constructed to transport logs or other items
flute
Regarding flumes. I remember reading a quite serious piece about log flumes, and it said that there was an optimum temperature for the water. If there was plenty of water it didn't matter, but as waterflow dropped colder water, being a little more dense, could still carry logs which would otherwise have grounded and damaged the flume itself.
Which seems to suggest that the writer thought it might be easier to chill the water being poured down the flume than simply to add more water. Don't you just love a theorist?
flue
lure
Two changes there, Midnight. But what the hell.
Lyre
pyre
pure
purr
parr (A young Salmon.)
part - some of a young salmon
cart
carat
Fair enough, I can't think of a new one either. Let's try...
chart
charm
harm
farm
firm
form
ford
for
fur
cur
curl
hurl
hurt
hart
chart
char
chair
hair
lair
lair
Er - is there an echo in here?
fair
Not sure how that happened, Jo. But the timestamp says you emerged from your lair before I did, so...
fir
fire
firm
farm
far
fare
tare
tear
fear
hear
near
neat
neap (as in tide)
nape (as in neck)
name
mane
male
meal
Teal
steal
stead
steed
seed
speed
sped
shed
sled
side
... which is two changes, but who's counting?
sidle
idle
Momentarily distracted by the timer on my cooker, reminding me I need to eat sometimes. Never even heard it yesterday when I burnt a dozen jam tarts ;-(
isle
While you cook but don't always eat, I'm much better at eating than cooking!
aisle
lisle - a strong, finely-spun cotton, famously used for stockings
Yup, I think that's about it. Let's try
sock
rock
brock - old country name for a badger
brick
trick
trice
trite
rite
write
wrote
rote
route
rout
trout
tout
tot
top
opt
apt
pat
path
math
moth
mouth
South
shout
spout
pout
gout
grout
group
croup
crop
drop
drip
rip
ripe
tripe
trip
trap
crap
cran - a basket, particularly used by herring fishers
Crane
"Caught one hundred cran of the silver darlin's,
when we're followin' the shoals of herrin'."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ov81aogaxg
Some good pictures with the video if you trust my link.
crone
drone
drove
prove
proved
proven
proves
proles
paroles
parolees
parolee
Looks like this has hit the buffers. Let's start again with...
jail
bail
ball
(If you were in jail, then got bail, you'd have a ball.)
tall
tale
male
meal
teal
steal
seal
sale
sole
sore
store
stove
shove
shovel
hovel
hover
over
cover
covert
coven
oven
even
event
vent
bent
bend
rend
wend
weld
held
help
whelp
whelk
I think we're all beaten by the whelk. Let's try...
when
whey
they
them
hem
ham
ram
Rom
from
prom
pro
prow
brow
brown
drown
crown
clown
blown
blows
flows
plows
glows
lows
laws
lawns
awns
sawn
sewn
sown
sow
stow
slow
flow
floe
foe
fee
feet
beet
beat
bear
boar
roar
road
load
loaf
oaf
oar
bar
bear
near
neat
neap
heap
heal
hale
pale
peal
seal
steal
steel
steep
sheep
sheet
sleet
slept
swept
sweat
seat
heat
meat
melt
welt
well
swell
swill
still
stile
tile
tale
talc
tall
fall
fell
sell
swell
spell
spill
spilt
silt
silo
filo
film
fill
sill
still
stall
stale
shale
whale
whole
hole
hold
cold
It has been a bit nippy the last few days. If it lasts long enough we may get a cold weather payment from the DWP.
When they were leaving the other evening Grandaughter was fascinated to see a temperature of minus one on the car's information display.
Here it's warming up a bit. Rain rather than snow or sleet; but lots of it, thanks to Storm Bert. (What kind of a name is Bert for a storm?)
clod
clad
Not much of a name. If I was storm called Bert I might get in a strop over it, and go around breaking things, grounding aeroplanes and such. Then they'd remember me as Bert The Bastard. So far here he's been Bert The Bummer. Just cold and wet, dull grey all the way.
clay
slay
In an alternate universe, where Santa is a terrorist, he might rampage through town shooting at anything in sight. And you can bet some journalist would write a screamer of a headline like Christmas Slay-Ride
slab
flab
flat
slat
swat
swan
swam
sham
shat
Past tense of the more common word. Still used in rural communities. "Laugh? I damn near shat my pants."
that
than
thin
think
chink
china
chin
chain
Cain (Biblical murderer.)
I've never met one, but I have to wonder at parents who choose this name for their kid.
In earlier times, Murder itself was used as a boy's name. Go figure.
can
fan
Regarding strange names: In gypsy communities quite often it's the sound of the name which appeals and sometimes it's down to the registrar to decide the spelling. This could be why biblical names are popular.
Perhaps there's some people out there who see/saw nothing strange about shouting "Murder, you little hooligan, come here!" to summon their offspring to dinner.
No worse than calling out "Chardonnay, you little bitch, git yer arse over here."
Use is everything. But there's nothing so dated as a name that was once fashionable.
fun
Quote from: Jo Bannister on November 28, 2024, 07:08:13 AMUse is everything. But there's nothing so dated as a name that was once fashionable.
fun
But such a useful tool for a writer when naming characters. If you label some poor sod as Algernon, or Chastity, it sets up certain expectations just from the name. Even if you deliberately write them
against the common assumptions.
You could have a lot of fun with a doctor or healer called Murder ;-) Or a whore called Chastity. I once knew a Prudence who was anything but prudent.
Back to the game...
fin
My first dentist was called Paine.
find
fund
found
hound
bound
bond
bind
mind
mine
tine
The individual teeth/spikes on a fork or rake
sine
A mathematical function, possibly useful in spherical geometry. I say possibly because I looked it up, and understood less after reading it than I did before.
sin
sun
Hun
bun
burn
born
barn
bare
bear
bears
fears
tears
ears
eats
seat
sate
spate
spat
swat
slate
late
tale
teal
seal
steal
steel
steep
steed
stead
steam
stream
scream
scram
shram
From the verb shrammed, meaning to shrink or shrivel with cold. Was used in 'rural' speech when I was kid.
"Ee, I was proper shrammed fust thing this mornin'."
sham
(a bit like that accent)
shame
shave
slave
slake
shake
shame
hames
homes
hopes
mopes
(when the hopes prove - as they so often do - unfounded)
mops
mobs
yobs
usually found in mobs. It takes a special degree of yobbishness to be a solitary practitioner ;-)
cobs
Very often the equine equivalent of yobs.
robs
ribs
cribs
dribs
drabs (what else?)
An eternal pairing, those two ;-)
drams
crams
Crabs
grabs
grubs
rubs
tubs
tuba
Tuna
tun - a large barrel
tan
tank
sank
There's a New Forest legend about a tank. In the run-up to D-Day all sorts of military stuff was camouflaged in the forest, under miles of netting, prior to embarking at Southampton.
One tank crew parked their tank on a swampy bit, which looked like a nice little green clearing in the bushes, and then went off to the nearest pub. When they came back their tank was gone. Totally submerged.
Or was it?
All these years later the locals, despite knowing how the swamps can swallow things, still like to attribute this vanishing act to various local families with a light-fingered reputation. And most of the accused will then act 'all mysterious' and say that they wouldn't have put it past their Grandad or Uncle to have spirited it away.
Any large old shed or garage which hasn't been opened for decades is suspected of being the last resting place of the vanishing tank.
bank
bark
barn
tarn - a small upland lake
tan
fan
fang
sang
sane
save
rave
brave
crave
crane
craned
crazed
razed
gazed
gaped
aped
axed
taxed
faxed
fared
hared
hare
pare
spare
spade
spate
skate
sate
pate
path
lath
lathe
lithe
tithe
title
tittle
tattle (what else?)
rattle
battle
bottle
mottle
dottle
(The burned residue left in the bottom of a smoker's pipe.)
Looks like I'm not the only one beaten by this. Can I reset to
dote
I had no idea of a follow up either.
mote
motte - the artificial hillock part of a motte & bailey castle
matte
matter
batter
barter
carter
crater
crated
crate
rate
raze
daze
doze
dozen
dozes
dotes
votes
voter
voted
noted
note
not
knot
knit
kit
kite
mite
mitre
metre
meter
meted
feted
fete
fate
fated
fasted
lasted
blasted
Basted
lasted
masted (As in a two or three masted ship. Even if the damned spell checker doesn't like the word.)
The machinery is being a little cantankerous today. I think the grey has got into its electronic soul ;-)
Strictly speaking, there is no such thing as a two-masted ship. A ship needs at least three masts, all of them square-rigged, with at least three yards on each, and a bowsprit to boot. Perhaps your spell-checker was aware of this.
master
muster
(If the mizzen went missin' it could temporarily be a two masted ship until they jury rigged something ;-)
(No, it would revert to a brig. But if the captain fell overboard, leaving it in the command of his lieutenant, it would immediately and without further alteration to its rigging become a sloop.)
musher - someone with a sled and a dog team
usher
A court official whose main purpose is to make sure people are where they should be at the right time. He also occasionally has to 'ush people who are being a bit too noisy.
pusher
A drug dealer, of course; but also an aeroplane with the propeller at the back. Looks very wrong but seems to work OK.
pushed (Ideally under a train or off a cliff if the pushee is a drug pusher.)
=====
Jo.
Apparently the pusher propeller is far more efficient than the tractor (puller) arrangement - at the front. But sticking a hefty aero engine at the back of a plane causes all sorts of problems with the centre of gravity. Plus having to accommodate a lengthy propshaft between front and back.
Some of the early aircraft had the engines mounted near the fore/aft centre of balance with a pusher prop. This had the additional advantage of a clean - none turbulent - airflow over he wings. Aerodynamics gets very complicated, very quickly ;-).
rushed
(I like the idea of a pushee.)
rushes
rashes
(Someone who suffers from them is easily spotted.)
ashes
ashen
Aspen
SPEN - a protein-encoding gene in humans.
spun
spunk
sunk
skunk
skank
spank
spark
shark
shard
shared
spared
scared
scare
cares
cases
cages
pages
ages
Sages
(I dare say the three wise men are home from their Christmas travels now, although it's possible their luggage was incorrectly boarded and lost on The Flight to Egypt.)
stages
stags
swags
sways
stays
strays
straws
straps
traps
trips
tripe
stripe
stripes
strips
straps
(Some mornings it hardly seems worth the effort of biting through the straps, but I live in hope.)
traps
raps
rags
brags
brag
drag
drug
rug
bug
lug
and I remembered to turn the page, just to brag about that!
lag
flag
flap
flop
flow
floe
flue
flu
fly
sly
say
day
pay
play
lay
lazy
lady
lad
glad
glade
glide
slide
slid
slit
slot
sloth
cloth
clothe
clothed
clotted - as in cream. Or blood, come to that.
plotted
plotter
potter
poster
paster
The man who sticks up the posters
He changed his name by deed poll because Bill Stickers was always being prosecuted.
pastor
castor
cantor
canter
banter
barter
batter
matter
master
waster
water
wafer
safer
safe
same
tame
team
seam
steam
stream
scream
cream
ream
real
regal
regale
resale
resave
What - if someone falls overboard again?
reave - a Bronze Age boundary wall
reeve
An anglo saxon official. Quite often an estate manager.
Also, I think I'm right in saying, the female of the ruff, a wildfowl not unlike a grebe.
peeve - a niggle or annoyance
poove
Rom word. Pooving the gry is when a travelling gypsy turns his horse out into a farmer's field overnight to graze without asking permission. If you bring it back out before daybreak and tether it at the roadside nothing can be proven.
But if the gypsy had drunk too much the night before and woke up late a spirited argument could well ensue.
prove
probe
Quote from: Jo Bannister on January 31, 2025, 07:44:15 PMWhat - if someone falls overboard again?
reave - a Bronze Age boundary wall
No, when a file is saved again and again - it is resaved. Save as is when you rename it instead.
robe
Thanks, Chick. You live and learn.
rote
role
roll
toll
tall
fall
fail
farl
A quadrant shaped Irish flatbread.
Made with baking soda. Very filling.
farm
fart
fort
forth
north
worth
worthy
No? Me neither. How about we change two letters, and have...
worry
sorry
lorry
I'm old enough to remember when trucks were called lorries.
Larry
Jo: I remember when most lorry drivers were wiry little chaps with forearms like Popeye from wrestling with manual steering and three gear shift levers. No automatic boxes back then.
I remember Mum wondering aloud how the 'little feller' down the road could drive 'such a big lorry'.
Dad, who wasn't much taller, smiled at her and said "You wouldn't be surprised if I could do it would you?"
Probably when I began to realise that Mum, despite towering over Dad, never saw him as little.
carry
tarry
tardy
hardy
handy
I actually have a handyman called Andy!
randy
How did you know?
sandy
shandy
Quote from: Jo Bannister on February 08, 2025, 11:47:25 AMHow did you know?
I've never a met an Andy yet who hasn't been nicknamed with the prefix Randy, even when it was obviously inappropriate.
shady
shad - a fish
sad
sod
son
sun
fun
pun
punt
hunt
hint
tint
stint
skint
skin
kin
win
wind
find
fund
funk
junk
punk
pink
pint
pant
Like a dog, not half of a pair of trousers.
want
wand
wan
won
won't
don't
dint
bint
bunt - a line used for furling a square sail
Or a type of cake pan
bent
Really? Once again, I stand amazed at the collective knowledge of our forum.
beat
leat
Cornish drainage system
I'm intrigued by the 'bent' cake pan.
No, the cake pan is a bunt, like the furling line. And a leat is also the channel supplying a watermill - the mill race being the water as it leaves.
leant
lent
left
weft
welt
wels
A species of catfish. These can grow to ridiculously large size, so if weight is your sole criteria for a record freshwater catch, these are the ones to pursue.
Ugly buggers though.
well
swell
smell
small
mall
mail
fail
farl
furl
Mall
Chick's done it again! The last word was furl.
hurl
hurt
hart
heart
earth
hearth
heath
hath
(Shakespeare liked this word.)
As he said of his wife, "Anne hath a way with her."
hash
bash
bath
lath
(As in lath and plaster walls.)
lathe
loathe
loathed
OK, fair enough - I haven't got one either. You can nearly do goatherd but not quite. Let's have a reset.
roast
toast
boast
beast
baste
haste
hates
bates
(When a hawk hangs below the falconer's wrist, or its perch, suspended by the jesses and beats its wings furiously this is known as bating. Surprisingly noisy, even with a smaller bird such as a Kestrel.)
mates
males
sales
seals
peals
pales
pals
pails
sails
snails
nails
ails
Can't remember who it was, except it was a famous Scot. Conceivably a famous Scott. But as an infant he caused his parents concern by never starting to speak, or even attempting to. Until at the age of three he was irritated by the constant crying of his younger brother, at which he demanded, in perfect English and with the correct Scottish accent: "What ails thee, Jock?"
pils
A type of lager. I had no idea this word existed, and was greatly puzzled when I heard a barmaid ask someone else - or so I thought - "Do you want your pills in a glass?"
"Nah, in the bottle." was nearly as confusing until I saw the label.
piles
tiles
stile
stilt
tilts
tilt
The wooden barrier separating the two jousting knights as they hurtle towards each other. Largely there to protect the horses if anything goes wrong, like a crash barrier on motorway.
till
still
sill
swill
swell
spell
spill
spilt
split
spit
And from America - no E required
shit
shift
sift
silt
stilt
tilt
tolt - the running walk produced by Icelandic ponies
holt
An Otter's den.
host
hot
shot
shoot
shout
snout
scout
scut
cuts
cats
(The poor chap running the local diabetes prevention course must feel as if he's herding cats at times.)
bats
bars
barbs
barb
bare
bear
beat
feat
Fear
fare
fate
mate
date
data
SATA
(A particular type of computer socket/cable.)
Satan
(Get thou behind me, Particular Type of Computer Socket/Cable!)
Stan (Either as a name or as a suffix, as in Afghanistan, or Hindustan, etc.)
=====
Jo: 'Get thee behind me SATA!' will, I'm sure, come back to haunt me next time I have a problem with either the cables or the sockets
tans
taps
tapes
tares
stares
stakes
takes
tales
stale
stall
still
shill
shell
shall
hall
halt
salt
slat
shat
Archaic and rural past tense of the more familiar word.
swat
swam
swamp
swap
sap
sip
rip
nip
snip
snap
nap
cap
cad
If I called someone a cad today the millennials would probably think it was a reference to Computer Aided Design.
cud
mud
mad
mat
mate
rate
prate
plate
pleat
peat
heat
Heap
leap
lap
clap
Slap
swap
Sway
stay
stab
stub
stun
shun
shunt
hunt
hurt
hurl
churl
churn
Churl (tough one)
Also, a repeated one.
curl
cure
curse
course
coarse
hoarse
horse
Hose
nose
pose
posse
posset
cosset
corset
Dorset
We seem to have gotten stuck here so let's start again
stuck
stack
shack
hack
hock
lock
loch
loco
Lobo (Me and you and a dog named Boo)
hobo
homo
Not politically correct these days, but I claim the word-wranglers exemption from sterile politeness. It's a word, not a judgement.
home
hope
dope
dose
pose
post
pest
pesto
presto
preso
(OK, it's a Spanish word, meaning preoccupied - but what the hell else?!)
Press
dress
cress
Crest
crust
rust
must
dust
gust
Gut
rut
rub
tub
tube
Tune
tone
cone
clone
alone
along
long
song
sung
bung
bun
ban
bank
bane
bean
been
seen
sheen
shee
An Irish fairy. The banshee was the female of the species, particularly good at foretelling deaths.
shed
Jo: I always knew the banshee was female, but it never dawned on me she had a male counterpart.
shied
That, Gyppo, is why this thread is about more than just having fun: we actually exchange a lot of information about words on the sly. The word ban is Old Irish for woman; banshee is usually represented in modern Irish as bean si'.
shield
(Yes, it's often like a slow conversation between comfortable friends who don't feel the modern need to immediately fill every silence.)
Sheld
shell
shall
stall
stale
shale
sale
Ale
lea
leap
heap
heal
hale
whale
while
whole
hole
mole
mode
made
mead
read
reed
deed
deer
Dear
dare
hare
share
Shake
Hake (A sea fish.)
(A rather tasty one, too. Beats me why everyone buys cod.)
hike
hide
Ride
rode
ode
to a fish maybe?
I like hake, too
mode
Mod
Idiot on a scooter, with too much chrome and too many mirrors so he can admire himself from every angle whilst riding. Usually wearing a fishtail parka with a target on the back.
Cod
Quote from: Gyppo on April 24, 2025, 08:12:38 PMMod
Idiot on a scooter... Usually wearing a wearing a fishtail parka with a target on the back.
To be fair, Gyppo, it's not usually him that painted the target there.
cow
Quote from: Jo Bannister on April 25, 2025, 07:26:18 AMTo be fair, Gyppo, it's not usually him that painted the target there.
cow
But he
chose to wear it ;-)
sow
Maybe nobody's told him it's there. Would you? Or would you just keep watching, and hoping?
scow
scowl
cowl
cool
coal
cola
Cold
fold
told
toll
Doll
dill
Mill
milk
silk
Bilk
bulk
bull
full
mull
mill
bill
bile
bite
kite
kine
as in cows in a group
tine
The prongs of a fork are called tines. Yet for some reason it's never drifted into our language as 'we came to a tine in the road'.
tire
fire
file
fine
dine
dune
dunce
ounce
I was going to say "dunce".
once
one
on
eon
neon
noon
loon
loop
loo
boo
book
cook
I remember a rather dodgy manager at one workplace not so much 'cooking the books' as physically barbecuing them over a fire out in the carpark. 'Tenting' the legers over the flames to make the pages burn quicker and more thoroughly. He was sacked afterwards, with no references, but nothing could be legally proven, despite a number of obvious loose ends.
cork
dork
fork
pork
perk
jerk
jerky
perky
perks
parks
spark
spank
sank
sunk
bunk
bonk
conk
cork
dork
dirk
kirk
kick
rick
pick
pink
kink (some of the first thoughts that pop into my head are unusable)
sink
stink
stank
stack
slack
lack
black
clack
crack
crick
brick
trick
tick
tock
stock
shock
shack
hack
whack
shack
shuck
suck
luck
lurk
lure
pure
pare
part
cart
cant
scant
scan
scar
scarp
carp
camp
ramp
tramp
tram
trim
grim
grime
prime
primp
pimp
pump
sump
sup
that always sounds so dignified and it is such a course word
tup
What rams do to ewes, if you're unfamiliar with the word.
A tup is a ram with a Yorkshire accent.
tug
gut
(or is that 2 letters?)
Technically that's two moves, but I don't want to risk the wrath of Ms Havoc so I think you've GOT away with it.
Git!
hit
hot
hat
chat
char
chair
hair
fair
fir
fire
sire
shire
hire
hive
jive
live
five
fine
pine
pink
pick
rick
trick
trice
price
prick
pick
puck
punk
junk
jink
rink
brink
brine
bribe
tribe
trite
rite
ride
bride
bridge
ridge
rudge
Old make of bicycle. Advert used to read, 'Why trudge it when you could Rudge it.'
rude
nude
node
lode
lone
done
dine
sine (as in sine waves.)
singe
sing
sung
stung
stun
tun - a large keg (a little short of a thousand litres)
Tuna
tuba
tub
hub
rub
trub - old country word for a truffle
true
rue
rude
crude
crud
curd
card
cart
tart
tarn - a small upland lake
yarn
yawn
dawn
darn
dare
mare
more
move
rove
rover
drover
driver
diver
river
riven
driven
drives
dives
doves
loves
gloves
groves
grooves
groove
grooved
groover
For those who remember Dud and Pete, Mississippi Groover
Not PC, but still bloody hilarious for those who listen to all the words instead of mindlessly reacting to a few 'triggers'.
https://youtu.be/btS7-UoK2Oo
groomer
roomer
roamer
roamed
foamed
famed
framed
farmed
harmed
charmed
charmer
charter
chapter
book
Er - that's quite a lot of letters to change, Chick. Suspect you're in the wrong thread.
chatter
clatter
clutter
I sure was!
cutter
cotter
(Cotter pins, truly annoying things for fastening bicycle cranks to the bottom bracket.
Cotterless chain-sets were a boon to cycling mankind. If you had the right tool to undo them.)
botter - a Dutch-built sloop-rigged barge (one mast, fore-and-aft rig, leeboards.)
batter
matter
mattes
mates
sates
saves
waves
raves
craves
caves
coves
coven
oven
over
Dover
diver
drive
drove
prove
prone
crone
drone
drome
As in velodrome, aerodrome, or even hippodrome. The latter, as child, made me think the Romans raced Hippos, which would have been a wonderous sight.
In fact, it would have been even more wonderful than that, since a hippo will chase and probably kill anyone who gets in its way. A bit like the animal world getting its own back on the gladiators.
dome
come
tome
tomb
comb
coma
(Remember, if you're in one, consult a doctor immediately.)
comma
(Remember, if you see one, pause.)
Momma
mommy
mummy - the Egyptian kind, obviously
tummy
tommy - either the gun or the soldier
we seem stuck
tome
Rome
romp
rump
rum
gum
gut
rut
rust
lust
last
past
paste
pastel
pasted
wasted
waste
caste
cast
cost
most
moat
moan
loan
loin
lion
lino
Yes, I know it's linoleum, but who says that. Even lino confuses those who've grown up with vinyl floor coverings.
lido
Lino is overdue a return to popularity. A compound of linseed oil, cork and/or woodshavings on a canvas or hessian backing, it's a much more natural product than the PVC vinyls we've all got used to.
Fido
=====
Lino is amazing stuff. We had some in my bedroom at the house which was fifty years old and still had most of its pattern, except for a burnt cross-shaped patch, which still hadn't got through to the floorboards underneath.
This happened when a jet powered model aircraft - I kid you not - being test flown on a rotating tether hanging from the ceiling caught fire and broke free. I was about fifteen then, so that lino saw another 45 years service after that little episode.
Years later my eldest girl asked about the burn mark and laughed in disbelief initially. I reminded her she'd had a toy helicopter which flew around a tether on her bedroom ceiling. She was obsessed with helicopters for a while.
After that she believed me, once I'd explained about the 'Jetex' motors with their little solid fuel capsules.
"Yeah, sounds like kind of thing you'd do, Dad."
Glory days for a curious child ;-)
fid - a spike used, depending on the size, in splicing ropes or supporting a top-mast.
did
died
lied
lived
liver
diver
driver
driven
riven
Raven
raved
caved
caned
canned
banned
banded
handed
handled
handle
candle
caudle - a sustaining hot drink, supplied in various guises from the Middle Ages onward, often involving milk and eggs and a shot of alcohol.
Caudle is also a type of spinal anesthesia because it is part of the spine stuff
So ... I tried going to vertebrates which of course wouldn't work ... but then
Fish
One of the vertebrate categories and that is how I got to that word. Phew!
Chick, your reasoning would be impeccable...if you were in the right thread. This is Change A Letter, not Change All Of Them. However, since Fish will be easier to follow, I'm sticking with Fish.
dish
Well! at least we got away from that letter mess.
wish
with
withy
(A long flexible stem, such as willow or similar.)
witchy
witch
switch
stitch
We seem stuck again
itch
pitch
patch
path
rath - an Iron Age hillfort built with earth ramparts rather than stone ones, which would make it a cashel.
lath
latch
batch
watch
catch
hatch
hutch
butch
Dutch
rutch
To move with a crunching sound, as when walking on gravel.
crutch
crunch
brunch
bunch
bunce
Unexpected financial windfall or bonus. Not often seen in print these days.
ounce
Small pre-metrication weight, for the infants among you
once
cone
done
drone
prone
crone
cone
lone
line
link
lank
plank
plane
pane
bane
of my existence!
bank
tank
=====
Two goldfish in a tank. One says to the other, "Do you know how to drive this thing?"
===
thank
think
thing
thin
thine
shine
whine
this is one of my greatest skills!
Everyone needs a hobby.
whinge
(whining taken to the next level)
hinge
singe
sing
swing
swung
slung
slunk
sunk
punk
pink
mink
mine
mind
find
hind
hint
hunt
shunt
shut
scut - a rabbit's tail
scud
cuds
cads
Historically and fictionally cads tend to be portrayed as individual characters. But there's no reason why they shouldn't hang around in groups or clusters.
I quite like the sound of a 'cluster' of cads as a collective noun. But I'd be delighted to see a more creative or alliterative offering if anyone has one ;-)
A conviviality of cads perhaps?
fads
fans
fangs
bangs
gangs
gongs
longs
long
along
alone
lone
line
life
live
love
glove
glave (or glaive, a halberd-type weapon on a pole. Gyppo's probably got one in his garden shed.)
slave
=====
Jo: Believe it or not I do have one in my bedroom. A glave, not a slave ;-)
The advantage of tall ceilings is you can store polearms propped up in a corner indoors, rather than in a shed where they'll eventually go rusty.
===
Gyppo,I know you too well!
save
gave
grave
grade
trade
tirade
this seems to have gotten stuck
irate
pirate
prate
pate
path
pith
pit
sit
site
sine
shine
shone
shore
sore
swore
sworn
worn
warn
warm
harm
ham
sham
slam
slim
slime
slide
glide
glider
=====
Do you know the technical difference between a glider and a sailplane?
A glider rarely climbs above the height it attained during the winch launch or aerotow before it was released.
A sailplane on the other hand is designed to soar and dance amongst the rising thermals and any massive up-draughts caused by mountain ridges etc. In the hands of a skilled pilot they can reach altitudes requiring oxygen for the pilot or travel several hundred miles from the launch point.
===
glided
You live and learn! At least, I do.
guided
guide
guile
Gaile
"Gaile" is a gender-neutral given name of Hebrew origin, meaning "father's joy".
Gail
Gaul
gall
ball
bale
tale
stale
steal
teal
The colour or the bird.
real
read
bread
beard
heard
hard
card
cord
word
=====
'In the beginning there was the word, but it soon grew tired of the singular life so it dreamt up a few more to keep it company, but they still lacked purpose and just milled around willy-nilly, being little more than unfocussed sounds.
Then a writer appeared, from wherever such strange creatures come from and whipped them into line, giving them coherence and purpose, and great was the rejoicing amongst them.
Then came language, which spread and became languages, which caused some conflict and confusion amongst the words who found they meant different things to different people.
Then came the internet, which had great potential and promise, but became a cesspit of confusion and wilful misunderstanding, especially when mathematicians, who really should have stayed in their own territory with their numbers, created semi-mythical beasts called algorithms which they claimed made sense of it all, but merely added unnecessary complexity and pseudo-certainty to the whole seething mess.
Then came a man who was asked "What will come of it all?" He looked into his crystal ball, and replied in a language many of them no longer understood.
"que sera, sera."
===
work
worm
warm
harm
charm
chary
chart
hart
heart
hear
dear
deaf
leaf
leat
Drainage system.
(Also supplies water to a water-mill.)
bleat
cleat
cheat
chat
char
chap
chip
chirp
chiro
Cairo
caro - a board game similar to Go played in the Far East
car
bar
barm (A natural form of yeast.)
farm
firm
fire
hire
Shire
shore
shorn
short
sort
port
wort
As in plant/herb, which feature in herbalists lists of both good and dangerous plants.
wart
tart
tarot
trot
tot
tote
vote
note
dote
date
data
sata
Just one of the types of connection and cables available in computers.
Satan
Just one of the types of bogie-man available in religions.
satin
matin
Morning worship or service. Obsolete noun. Now usually referred to on church notice boards as matins, with a final 's'.
martin
A bird related to the swallows; not to be confused with a marten, a mustelid related to stoats, otters and badgers.
Marlin
merlin
merling
it's a fish or a merfolk
take your pick
merging
emerging
I'm stuck with this one. Anyone want a reboot?
I say go for it. But I'll let someone else choose the new seed word.
Something that was emerging is now ...
out
and selling questionable tickets for this event we have a...
tout
I guess the event was a boxing
bout
I'd rather have a
boat
Which would probably be better behaved than a
goat
Since they eat any and everything, probably even a
gnat
Fortunately they have enough teeth to
gnaw
OK, a bit of creativity is obviously called for here.
Gawn! - is an exclamation used to express surprise and disbelief by cockneys when they were black-and-white.
dawn
drawn
draw
raw
paw
pat
spat
spate
skate
state
stare
share
shave
save
salve
halve
have
hate
mate
male
mile
smile
stile
stilt
tilt
silt
wilt
will
pill
pile
pole
mole
dole
done
gone
gong
bong
bang
sang
sane
lane
late
slate
slave
stave
shave
suave
quave
=====
Long obsolete Old English verb, meaning to shiver or tremble.
I had a feeling this word existed, had possibly seen it in a medieval context, so I went searching. The online OED wanted me to pay [1] to get the exact meaning, but I found it elsewhere for nothing. But I'm quite happy to let it fade back onto well-earned obscurity now.
[1] I don't feel I need it often enough to pay £10 a month for access. Although I'm sure it would be fascinating.
Gyppo
quaver
quiver
I remember one of Dad's stories, about an archer who bought a dozen new arrows but had no way to carry them. So he told his girlfriend scary stories until she was 'aquiver'.
I'm treating the qu as a single letter for
fiver
Good call, Chick.
river
rover
hover
haver (To hesitate or shilly-shally.)
aver
Acer
acre
nacre
The shiny stuff inside an oyster shell, used to make 'mother of pearl'.
nare
The nostril on the beak of a bird
rare
nares are part of human anatomy, too
Quote from: Laura on September 26, 2025, 11:52:15 AMnare
The nostril on the beak of a bird
I was going to try nare. But Wikipedia insisted the singular of
nares is
naris.
rear
sear
Part of the trigger mechanism in a gun.
shear
sheaf
shelf
shell
swell
swill
spill
skill
still
till
tilt
wilt
welt
belt
bell
bill
mill
mile
smile
smite
mite
mile
milk
silk
silky
silly
billy
bully
bulky
sulky
sully
gully
gull
pull
pill
mill
fill
frill
krill
rill
rile
file
fire
hire
sire
shire
shine
sine
fine
tine
(The spike on a fork or similar.)
tone
tune
tuna
tuba
tub
stub
stun
tun - a big barrel
gun
gnu
I just used that word on the last game and though I returned to the same page!
gnus
because I don't know what else to do with it
It's an awkward one...
Will you accept two changes if it lets us move on and offers a way forward?
snub
snob
sob
mob
rob
rib
nib
nil
'til
tile
till
still
skill
skull
skulk
skunk
skink
skint
skin
kin
bin
bint
bind
hind
find
fond
fund
found
mound
sound
pound
pond
fond
ford
word
lord
lard
hard
chard
chary
char
car
cur
curt
yurt
hurt
hart
heart
hear
pear
rear
rare
dare
fare
pare
par
mar
mark
mask
task
tusk
rusk
risk
rise
raise
braise
bruise
cruise
cruised
cruises
cruiser
crusier
More like the sort of pot a widow might keep oil in... Well, all right, but what else? Time for a reboot?
I think so.
Lets kick off with...
hand
hard
herd
heard
beard
bear
bare
bate
baste
haste
hates
haves
haven
shaven
shaver
Shaker
Saker
A widespread breed of falcon
sake
cake
rake
rate
rote
tote
tope
pope
pole
poll
roll
droll
troll
toll
till
still
stilt
spilt
silt
silo
solo
sold
solid
slid
slide
glide
glider
slider
sidler - one who approaches you crab-wise with a dozen genuine Rolexes pinned inside his raincoat.
idler
What the dodgy watch guy becomes when he's sold enough and is 'back in funds' for a while.
idle
isle
islet
inlet
I was so expecting isle to aisle that I was almost shocked into paralysis! Luckily I rebounded.
inset
onset
anagram?
stone
I won't tell anyone if you don't.
stoke
stole
stale
tale
teal
steal
steam
teams
tams
tames
tomes (Heavy or otherwise. I suppose a 1000 page e-book could be called a 'mighty tome' even if it lacks physical weight.)
times
timer
tier
tire
Jo: Last night I looked into my crystal ball and predicted that you would probably respond to my previous posting with tier ;-)
fire
fired
Quote from: Gyppo on November 18, 2025, 01:37:53 PMJo: Last night I looked into my crystal ball and predicted that you would probably respond to my previous posting with tier ;-)
Some crystal ball, that. Is it any good at the stock market?
fried
tried
Quote from: Jo Bannister on November 18, 2025, 03:35:31 PMSome crystal ball, that. Is it any good at the stock market?
fried
Jo: If only.
A lot of fortune telling is psychology. Over the years, reading your posts, I have perhaps recognised patterns or tendencies in the way
you use language. Not necessarily the way your mind works, but what and how you share its output with others.
fried
[/quote]
dried
cried
creed
breed
bread
read
real
reel
reef
free
flee
fleet
feet
fret
free
tree
a bit archaic, but...
thee
there
here
her
hero
herd
nerd
need
seed
speed
sped
spud
scud
scut
The white(ish) underside of rabbit's tail,which flashes as they run, thus signalling a silent alarm to the others when they are startled by a predator.
cut
out
pout
post
host
most
mast
last
blast
blasé
blaze
laze
glaze
gaze
Years ago, in the local park, there was chap exercising his large dog on the far side. At the distance we couldn't see it properly. Just the general stance and the way it moved. Mum, who liked big dogs even through we never had one, asked me what kind of dog I thought it was.
"Can't tell from here, but it's probably come kind of gaze hound." Coursing type dogs, which hunt by sight.
Mum looked puzzled. "How do you know the owner's homosexual?"
===
gave
cave
cove
cope
hope
mope
move
dove
drove
drive
driven
riven
river
rider
drier
dried
died
deed
feed
weed
seed
speed
sped
sled
soled
Who else remembers when you could get worn shoes soled and heeled?
I once saw a corner shop down south (Republic of Ireland) somewhere, that had obviously changed hands recently. Once a cobblers, it was now selling bibles and religious paraphernalia, and the front had a nice new paint job. But they hadn't got round to painting the side wall yet, and you could still read the fading words: "Soles repaired in a hurry".
;-)
solid
sold
scold
scald
scalp
salp - a barrel-shaped, planktonic tunicate (yes, I had to check that in Wikipedia) most noticeable when seen in long ropelike colonies.
slap
=====
Wiki's good when you've only heard a word but never seen it written. Or for those words which surface from deep in your personal memory bank, but you're not sure if the spelling will fit the needs of the game.
flap
I got a favorite pair of shoes resoled a few years ago. They are the perfect color and right heel height and comfortable. The new soles were perfect for the old tops.
flop
lop
lob
lobe
globe
glove
love
live
alive
alike
alice
lice
lime
slime
slim
swim
shim
shit
I just couldn't resist
I tried and failed
I, like Oscar Wilde, can resist anything but temptation.
chit
chin
shin
shiv
(Older slang for a knife, although the modern 'shank' turns up more and more often.
Shiv was used for any knife. Strictly speaking a 'shank' is a rough prison-made knife, using whatever is available. Such as a sharpened toothbrush handle, which metal detectors can't 'see', or a sliver of broken glass with a rough rag-wrapped handle. Human ingenuity is almost limitless when it comes to improvising weapons.
shim
sham
shame
hames
homes
holes
hoes
hopes
hops
cops
coops
chops
shops
ships
chips
chaps
caps
cats
scat
spat
spar
spear
shear
share
shape
shade
Hades
And I knew you would do that, Gyppo!
hides
hives
Some opportunities are just too irresistible, aren't they?
chives
chimes
crimes
cries
tries
tried
tired
timed
mimed
mired
mined
fined
filed
foiled
boiled
coiled
soiled
toiled
tolled
tilled
stilled
stilted
tilted
silted
sited
sifted
gifted
lifted
lofted
looted
mooted
Raised a point for discussion or judgement at a moot or meeting.
moated
A castle with the ultimate in garden ponds
coated
costed
hosted
hosed
posed
poser
poker
joker
joke
moke
mode
modem
modes
codes
cedes
cede
Bede
the Venerable guy
bed
bad
Like the spelling of someone whose spellchecker suggested 'venereal bead' when they thought they'd typed Venerable Bede.
I never trusted those spilt chickens.
mad
sad
spill chuckers have their uses, but you can't trust them.
It didn't like chuckers at all, it offered three alternatives. Cluckers, checkers, and chockers ;-)
said
raid
braid
brain
drain
rain
grain
grail
rail
tail
trail
trial
triad
I so wanted to put Dryad, but it had a Y instead of an I.
So I'll have to settle for...
tried
fried
pried
pride
bride
bridge
fridge
ridge
dirge
dire
wire
ire
irk
dirk
kirk
kick
tock
stock
stack
sack
pack
pace
space
spice
splice
slice
lice
lace
lane
mane
mange
range
grange
grunge
gunge
lunge
lungs
bungs
bangs
bongs
songs
tongs
tones
stone
shone
shine
sine
since
mince
Minch - the stormy stretch of waters between the Inner and Outer Hebrides.
Winch
witch
hitch
bitch
birch
birth
mirth
firth
forth
If you want to venture forth into the North Sea from Edinburgh, you have to go through the Firth of Forth first.
fort
font
don't
dent
tent
bent
belt
welt
well
"Hell!"
hill
hall
hale
pale
pace
space
spade
Spode - English pottery that produced the first bone china
spoke
poke
pike
spike
spoke
smoke
stoke
toke
moke
smoke
smote
'Samson smote the Philistines.'
mote
mole
mule
rule
rile
tile
tale
table
sable
able
ale
lea
leaf
flea
fled
bled
bleed
bleep
beep
seep
seen
seed
need
nerd
herd
hero
zero
Zeno
the Greek Philosopher
Zen
fen
fan
ban
bar
bear
wear
swear
sweat
swat
swot (The other sort.)
sot
Jo: I would have been mildly disappointed if you hadn't come up with sot.
Sort
snort
short
shore
snore
snare
spare
pare
pyre
tyre
tire
mire
mare
more
wore
tore
torn
corn
worn
warn
warm
harm
charm
char
car
carp
harp
hart
hare
hire
shire
shirk
shirt
short
sport
spore
pore
pole
pile
tile
stile
stilt
tilts
wilts
wills
swill
swell
Sorry, Aiden.
You can make one change at a time. This can be changing a letter, moving one letter, or adding or removing one letter. And just to keep it clear this also means you can't shuffle them like an anagram, no matter how tempting it can sometimes be.
So swell to deal doesn't work.
Want to try again before someone else jumps in?
the word to change is swell.
I guess not.
shell
Terribly Sorry
Didn't check out the last word properly, for some reason
Here we go
Spell
Perfect.
spall
A term used in science and engineering for materials surface failure, but most familiar to most of us as that whitish bloom you get on sub-optimal brickwork.
pall
pail
jail
jali - that perforated fretwork in stone or wood used in Indian architecture and furniture-making.
Mali (the location)
Malt(prepared from cereal grain)
halt
half
calf
calm
clam
claim
CLAIT
I'm only using this acronym because I can't think of anything else to follow 'claim, and it does allow at least one other way forward.
=====
I have a CLAIT certificate from many years back, having successfully passed the vocational exams for Computer Literacy And Information technology. This at a time when I still stubbornly clung to my much loved Brother manual typewriter for 'real work'.
It was a strange course, because you didn't have to do certain modules if the training facility didn't have sufficiently advanced technology.
The internet was in its infancy, so we couldn't 'transfer data from one machine to another' that way. But we did suggest that the organiser could tick that particular box off as completed when we entered data on a 'floppy',(those durable hard=cased Amstrad 3" discs), threw it the length of the office, and the recipient slotted it into their computer, worked on it and threw it back.
I enjoyed that course ;-)
I did that too. It was free for over-50s!
plait
plain
(it's a small world.)
plan
play
ploy
plod
pod
god
cod
rod
(There's a word which earns its keep. Turns up all over the place. As an old English measurement, as a fishing rod, as a symbol of office, in the bible as 'The rod of Aaron,' as a teachers rod for beating naughty children, etc.)
And for cleaning out your drains.
rid
bid
bed
Bede
(Venerable of that ilk.)
cede
code
mode
lode
lope
lop
top
fop
sop
soup
soap
soar
boar
boat
boast
toast
oast
A building once used for drying hops for the brewing industry, usually now converted to expensive residence.
oust
out
bout
boat
boa
Either the snake variety or the feather one.
bola
a necktie made of a bit of string and a brooch
bolas
A primitive hunting weapon made from weights on strings. Pictures generally show two or three weights but they can have more. Those with several strings are designed to be thrown at flocks of birds with the intent of entangling several at the same time and bringing them to the ground.
BLAS - Basic Linear Algebra Subprograms, a mathematical software library
blast
last
slat
slate
elate
relate
prelate
predate
predated
How can the same word mean either "came before" or "killed and ate"?
Quote from: Jo Bannister on January 28, 2026, 07:21:20 PMpredated
How can the same word mean either "came before" or "killed and ate"?
hunted
predated in the sense of time was probably originally a hyphenated word, where the meaning of the two components were clear but shoehorned together for convenience.
Predated as in the sense of the action of a predator comes from the root 'prey' and feels a little clumsy, like the modern 'verbing' of some nouns, like Google becoming an action using Google.
I think we got stuck here
dated
fated
sated
stead
steed
steep
steel
stele
stale
shale
whale
whole
whose
hose
those
these
there
here
herd
heard
beard
bard
card
cared
scared
shared
shred
shed
sped
spied
pied
As in the Pied Piper
pies
which are much tastier
pipes
which aren't
sipes
Which are the tiny little grooves cut in the tread of vehicle tyres. They allow the treads to squeeze out the surface water, so creating a drier contact patch with the road. This helps to avoid aquaplaning, where the tyres ride on a thin film of water and have no direct physical contact with the road. As you can imagine this condition is very detrimental for both steering and braking.
I've only experienced it once, and the front wheel on my motorbike flopped from side to side as it ploughed straight ahead regardless of my steering input. Scary as hell ;-)
wipes
wiper
(Bad enough in a car, Gyppo - nightmare on a bike!)
piper
Jo: It was a motorbike and light box sidecar. So probably very similar to a car. I wrote it up at the time, [I'll have a quick rummage through the archives, see if I can find it.[/i]
viper
Vaper
(One who vapes. I have never understood why those who switch from cigarettes to vapes seem to believe they have given up smoking.
I'm also pig-sick of seeing 'vape shops' appearing all over the place. Between them, fast food outlets, nail bars, and estate agents it's hard to find a real shop where they sell useful things.)
caper
caver
raver
raven
haven
shaven
shave
save
have
hare
hard
chard
chord
cord
word
worn
gorn
As in the music hall song, "Your baby has gorn dahn the plug'ole, yyour baby has gorn dahn the plug, the poor little thing was so skinny and thin, he orta been barfed in a jug."
I know a lot of lyrics using words you don't find in a dictionary. I'm not sure they're legitimate offerings in a word game!
born
corn
Jo: Sometimes I just can't resist the temptation. But I don't do it too often ;-)
Let you off this time, then.
core
cure
pure
puce
(If ever there was a colour which sounds horrible, this is it.)
It really is, isn't it? Closely followed by magenta.
pace
pale
bale
ball
fall
gall
gull
gulf
golf
wolf
Worf
son of Mogh, the Klingon from Star Trek
wort
(Herbalist speak for plant, as in St John's wort.)
wart
art
ant
pant
plant
pliant
plaint
(Old English, and still used in some rural areas, for the longer word complaint)
plain
plan
clan
clean
lean
leap
plea
pled
led
sled
shed
shod
sod
sad
sap
asp
ash
wash
sash
smash
slash
clash
crash
crush
brush
rush
lush
plush
plus
pus
pubs
subs
suns
stuns
stubs
tubs
tuba
tube
tuber
uber (The unregulated taxi business.)
rube
rub
grub
grab
brag
rag
tag
nag
snag
shag
sham
shame
hames
part of a heavy horse's driving harness
Thought you might go for that one ;-)
Hams
Was thinking of your mum as I posted it.
hems
hers
here
herb
verb
very
vary
How the folks at the posh end of town pronounce very ;-)
"Oh, Postman. You're vary early this morning."
"It's a consequence of fluctuating enthusiasm, Madam."
"Oh! You are a card."
ovary
Good luck with that one, folks
Bovary
so there!
Bovar
What the heck was that, so tough.
boar
soar
High in the sky, away from Madame Bovary and her ilk.
sonar
solar
which actually took me longer to come up with that than Madam B.
molar
polar
poplar
popular
copular
Looks like we got stuck
polar
solar
sola
context 1: do, re , mi, fa, so-la, ti
context 2: plural of sole of our foot or shoe :)
No, I don't think so. Try again.
Too big for my boots
Go with 'Bolar'
Bole here means clay/mud i.e, bole.
To untangle this knot and leave a few ways forward...
bonar
Bonar Law had a brief term as British Prime Minister during 1922-1923.
Boner(hope its okay)
it's perfect
bone
bore
bare
ware
aware
award
ward
wary
wars
was
has
hash
hush
push
puss
pus
bus
busk
rusk
risk
brisk
frisk
frisky
risky
Ricky
That was my brother's name.
tricky
trick
tick
lick
flick
flock
block
black
slack
lack
lace
face
farce
fare
fear
rear
rebar - what reinforced concrete is reinforced with
barre
for ballet
That's changing TWO letters!
barge
targe
A round Scottish Shield, somewhat equivalent to the English buckler, but usually bigger. The rim of either could - and indeed should - be used to deliver a blow to the opponents face if the opportunity arose, so neither is entirely defensive.
it was an anagram
there have been many of those
target
Sorry, not wearing it: the thread's called Change A Letter. Not, Shuffle Them All About!
parget
A decorative plaster applied to masonry since the Middle Ages; usually now called Pargeting (or Pargetting)
though the French-derived term came first.
I'm so sorry. I will not do that again. I will point it out the next time I see it, though.
Paget
it's a disease
page
mage
mange
mane
sane
sine
sing
singe
binge
being
bing
(Either the sound, or the search engine.)
Quote from: Jo Bannister on March 08, 2026, 11:43:29 AMbeing
from "binge"
see? anagram
no changed letters
or the cherry
wing
Chick, I only moved the E - from the end of binge to after the b. Being. See?
wine
Quote from: Jo Bannister on March 06, 2026, 08:12:45 AMSorry, not wearing it: the thread's called Change A Letter. Not, Shuffle Them All About!
wing
No, still can't see what I did wrong. I changed one letter from one position to another.
swing
I'm not saying it's wrong, per se, I'm saying that it, too, is an anagram. If you like it, it works.
sing
Ling ( A species of saltwater fish.)
=====
Re the anagram business. I'm fairly sure that way back in the early days of this game, back in the old place, it was generally agreed that moving, adding, or subtracting one letter was fine. There were those who argued you should be allowed to change two letters at the same time if they were identical. That argument didn't fly for very long ;-) [1]
To my mind a real anagram requires a more extensive shake-up of all the letter, such as turning orchestra into carthorse.
Miles into smile for example is surely, at best, a semi-anagram.
[1] These were generally the kind of people who, when we ran a competition with a strict word count limit, would argue 'short filler words like 'a' or 'I' didn't count. (Some people are more interested in finding loopholes than just getting on with the job at hand.)
link
slink
slunk
skunk
skank
shank
hank (of yarn or thread)
hand
band
bard
beard
bread
brad
bran
brain
drain
rain
gain
grain
grail
rail
rial
trial
triad
tread
thread
threat
treat
teat
eat
at
a
an
van
vane
lane
lave
slave
slake
snake
sneak
speak
peaks
pecks
speck
peck
puck
luck
muck
much
mach
As in Mach 1, or any of the higher values reached by some aircraft .
macho
tacho
The spy in the cab which lorry drivers have to learn to live with, or creatively manipulate.
taco
tact
fact
face
pace
pact
part
pare
spare
spear
pears
tears
tzars
tars
jars
jabs
tabs
stab
stay
sway
swat
seat
heat
heal
peal (of bells)
peel (of apples)
peep (of chicks)
weep
sweep
sheep
steep
steel
steal
stale
tale
teal
heal
hale
halt
salt
malt
melt
welt
well
swell
swill
spill
pills
ills
sill
skill
kill
mill
mull
cull
dull
bull
bulb
'burb
blurb
The hardest part of any book to write. And possibly the most important.
blurt
Quote from: Jo Bannister on March 28, 2026, 02:24:45 PMblurb
The hardest part of any book to write. And possibly the most important.
Publishers always ask the author to write their own blurb. Why? Because they know that the author knows his/her own story and
might make a decent job of it. An outsider hired to do the job will just skim through the book and totally misunderstand it. Some reviews are written the same way ;-(
Sometimes the blurb is far better than the damned book, which suggests it should maybe have been a short story or a novella rather than an overblown sprawling epic.
And yes, they can indeed be difficult to write. Putting in enough to whet a readers appetite but not give the whole plot away.
blur
I hated writing blurbs. I reached an accommodation with my publishers which suited us both: the editor would write a rough version of what she thought was important, and I'd happily change almost everything about it. We ended up with something that pleased us both.
blue
clue
club
cub
cur
curt
yurt
hurt
hart
chart
char
charm
A group of goldfinches is called a charm.
harm
ham
hem
them
then
when
hen
hewn
sewn
sown
mown
moon
Big Strawberry moon in the sky this morning.
moot
foot
food
mood
good
god
gob
rob
robe
We used to make jokes about the way the folks at the posh end of the village spoke.
Posh lady gets burgled. "Oh my, we've ben robed."
When asked how the 'rates' were in Hiltonbury.
"Oh we don't have Rates, only Mace.")
rope
grope
grove
grave
graven
raven
haven
Which is also the name of my step-great-granddaughter
haver
(To waffle, dissemble, be indecisive.)
shaver
slaver
salver
silver
sliver
liver
river
riven
driven
drivel
drive
drove
drone
crone
prone
probe
prove
prole
Condescending label for a member of the proletariat.
pole
pile
file
tile
stile
stale
state
spate
spare
as in your darling Harry
or for that matter, Andrew
Or...pick your choice of aristocratic, political or celebrity hangers-on.
parse
purse
pure
cure
curve
carve
cave
cane
cage
wage
wager
water
wafer
safer
saver
raver
aver
avert
alert
"Be Alert - Your Country Needs More Lerts".
alter
Quote from: Jo Bannister on April 10, 2026, 02:36:54 PM"Be Alert - Your Country Needs More Lerts".
But the Job Centre never advertised any vacancies for them, so I never believed that message.
===
Let's go with falter.
halter
halted
malted
mated
sated (If it was a successful mating.)
salted
(If not, console yourself with peanuts.)
silted
stilted
tilted
titled
title
tittle (As in empty-headed tittle-tattle)
little
vittle
variant spelling of victual
Looks like I'm not the only one stymied. Can I reset to...
food
(which is more or less the same thing)
flood
floor
flour
four
your
you
yob
hob
hoe
shoe
shot
shut
shat (Rural past tense for the more commonly used word.)
spat
either past tense of spit or shoe stuff
spate
state
slate
slave
shave
shale
hale
halt
salt
silt
slit
slot
plot
pot
pout
spout
shout
shut
shun
shunt
hunt
hurt
yurt
curt
curd
card
cord
corn
core
score
cores
copes
scope
score
sore
store
stove
shove
shovel
hovel
hover
over
oven
open
pen
pent
spent
spend
send
tend
tent
tint
stint
stunt
stun
stung
sung
hung
hang
hag
bag
brag
bran
brain
train
trail
trait
strait
traits
trains
strain
stain
statin
satin
saint
taint
tint
tine (As in the prong of a fork.)
thine
(as in the prong of your fork)
thin
Which most tines are, relative to the width of the whole tool.
think
thunk
Either the sound, or the rural past tense of think.
"I thunk about it for a while, then got over it."
chunk
chink
chine
Deep valley leading down to the sea. The Isle of Wight is famous for them. Blackgang chine is just one.
Which also gives its name to the shaping of a boat's hull in flat planes set at an angle rather than a steady curve.
shine
shire
hire
hare
care
(Just had yet another leaflet advertising a residential/care home. As always they convince me that I'd be better off retreating into the woods and shooting myself. They all look very clean and spacious, and some of the people look as if they might be okay individually, but en-masse 'enjoying' social activities they scare the hell out of me.
It was an unusual leaflet though in that there wasn't a single brown or black person depicted. Either as resident or staff. Someone slipped that one through the obsessive 'token' presence advertising filter.
Not sure which makes me more uneasy: photos with no black faces, or photos overloaded with black faces. Maybe we should all wear paper bags over our heads. Of course, some of the paper bags would be darker than others... Or maybe we should all grow up, and accept that some skins are darker than others and get over it.
cure
curse
nurse
Norse
nose
rose
lose
lone
alone
along
long
log
hog
hod
hid
hide
tide
tied
tier
tire
it's great to in America
y'all couldn't do that!
Yes we can. It's just that it tires us to do it.
sire
wire
I forgot about that one!
wore
ore
orb
rob
rub
grub
grab
crab
carb
curb
curl
churl
hurl
hurt
yurt
curt
cur
cure
core
score
scare
scape
scope
Scone
stone
Some badly made scones share a distinct familial resemblance to stones ;-)
stove
store
shore
share
scare
scarce
I am unable to make the next word, either.
rare
Not just me, then!
rave
lave (as in wash)
slave
shave
shale
shalt (Archaic, but still used by folks with a biblical bent. "Thou shalt not!"
salt
slat
seat
spat
spit
spite
spate
spare
pare
pear
hear
heard
beard
bread
breed
bred
bed
bid
rid
rib
rob
rub
hub
hue
huge
luge
lug
bug
bog
bag
brag
bran
brand
grand
rand (currency)
rind
kind
kine
the cattle thing
king
kin
skin
shin
ship
chip
chin
coin
con
cob
cub
nub
rub
rut
rout
trout
trot
trod
Troy
toy
coy
cop
cope
cape
cave
crave
crane
cran
a basket for carrying fish. Herring catches were traditionally measured in crans.
ran
rain
pain
paint
taint
tint
hint
thin
thine
thing
think
thunk
Either the noise of a pool cue or similar object striking someone's skull, or the rural english past tense of think.
"After hearing that sound I thunk it would be a good idea to be somewhere else when the police arrived."
chunk
hunk
hulk
hull
bull
bill
bile
bilk
ilk
silk
sink
wink
wine
wane
wean
bean
bear
beat
beet
best
pest
pets
nets
nest
rest
reset
preset
present
prevent
No, me neither. Let's hit reset:
stop
shop
chop
clop
cop
cob
cab
cub
cur
curt
hurt
hurl
hull
hulk
husk
tusk
busk
rusk
rust
lust
lush
blush
brush
crush
crust
crest
chest
chess
cess (Archaic, but still used. Cess is what you find in a cesspit ;-) Or when someone with a fondness for old fashioned curses says 'Bad cess upon you!"
Which would be so much worse than good cess...
mess
mass
maps
Quote from: Jo Bannister on June 01, 2026, 05:05:30 PMWhich would be so much worse than good cess...
I've sometimes pondered upon this myself.
Perhaps, back in the day, it was universally known that some types of 'cess' made good fertiliser - which could have been good 'cess' and some most definitely didn't.
Back to the game
naps
snap
snag
sang
rang
range
rage
rave
rive
The act of splitting lengths of timber along the natural pattern of the grain rather than sawing it.
'Riven' fence posts may be a bit 'wavy' along their length but are generally more durable than their sawn cousins.
dive
hive
hike
like
lie
lied
pied
(Chequered, as in the clothing of 'The Pied Piper'.
piped
pipped
at the post, usually
sipped
ripped
rippled
tippled
trippled
There's only one P in it. However...
tripped
tripper (Day or otherwise.)
stripper
Striper
(The one who painted the lines along the sides of cars or motorcycle tanks, back in the days when it was done by hand.)
Nowadays of course cars are 'designed by a computer, built by a robot, driven by a moron'. Unless he can afford a self-driving Tesla or similar in which case the computer 'squares the circle' and further enhances the MQ - Moron Quotient' of the hapless passenger.
tripe
ripe
rile
rill
(A very narrow waterway, a more 'poetic' way of describing a streamlet. In poetry rills usually 'sparkle' as well, and presumably cease to exist on dull overcast days.)
dill
dell
Where some of the aforementioned 'rills' possibly gravitated to form pools.
Quote from: Gyppo on June 06, 2026, 01:58:26 PM... rills usually 'sparkle' as well, and presumably cease to exist on dull overcast days.)
Whereas brooks burble, and are therefore undetectable by the deaf.
dwell
well
welt
felt
belt
bolt
colt
Celt
cell
call
calf
calf
half
you keep beating me to my answers
halt
salt
silt
tilt
tilth
state of soil worked ready for sowing
filth
fifth
fifty
nifty
nitty
as in Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
natty
nasty
hasty
haste
hates
dates
dames
games
gams
grams
gram
grim
grime
rime (As in hard 'rime' frost.)
rile
rise
ripe
tripe
trite
rite
rote
rove
rope
cope
scope
copse
corpse
corps (As in a body - number variable - of men.)
crops
cops
chops
hops
hoes
shoe
shod
Terrible news: my farrier has retired! He's been coming to me for over 20 years, and I'm going to miss him like hell. In a profession known for arrogant and unreliable practitioners, he's been unfailingly helpful, skilful and kind. And his reward for this was increasing back pain - which is a bit of an occupational hazard. They spend a lot of time bent double, wrestling with something that doesn't really want to co-operate. I'll find another farrier; I'll find another decent farrier; I doubt I'll find another Eoin.
That's a bummer.
I assume you've asked him if there's anyone else he'd be willing to recommend. Some younger man who he thinks shows promise.
When I was thinking of having a two piece 'stable' door fitted to my bungalow I asked an older tradesman, who I remembered as a bit of perfectionist if he'd quote a price. He'd retired, and seeing him after many years I realised he probably wasn't as physically robust as he used to be. As they say in rural circles, he'd gone back a bit'.
He thought for a while and said, "Well, none of those buggers in the yellow pages, or the check-a-trade booklet, but young ----- will do a good job for a good price. But don't try to beat him down, he knows what he's worth."
In the end I decided not to go ahead with it, but I've still got the phone number. Just in case iIhave a sudden decent windfall.
Gyppo
shot
Actually, Gyppo, I didn't. I didn't want to put him on the spot. Things can go wrong with shoeing a horse: any honest farrier will tell you he's lamed a few in his time. But if he recommended someone and it went pear-shaped, he'd be mortified. What I did instead was ask horse-owning friends and neighbours who they were using and if they were satisfied. I've got someone coming next month that I think will be satisfactory; but I'll have a better idea when I've seen him work.
host
hoist
Quote from: Jo Bannister on June 14, 2026, 02:17:00 PMActually, Gyppo, I didn't. I didn't want to put him on the spot. Things can go wrong with shoeing a horse: any honest farrier will tell you he's lamed a few in his time. But if he recommended someone and it went pear-shaped, he'd be mortified.
Good point, Jo. Very good point in fact.
I saw an interview with Michael Caine, and he was asked if he thought any of the current crop of younger actors had the potential to become 'great' actors as they aged.
He gave the thought some serious consideration then said, "I can think of three, possibly four. But I
won't name them because no actor needs that kind of pressure, that degree of expectation while they're still learning. You need to grow into it at your own pace."
moist
most
mast
malt
halt
hale
hole
whole
while
whale
shale
shame
shave
save
suave
slave
slate
skate
spate
spade
Spode - a big name in the history of English pottery
spoke
poke
joke
coke
cove
coven
oven
over
overt
covert
cover
clover
lover
lower
blower
blowed
flowed
flower
fowler
a sometime wildfowler who's learned to chill a bit
howler - a somewhat less than quiet individual.
bowler
bowser. A relatively small truck - compared to a bulk tanker - for carrying fuel or other liquids. We used get paraffin delivered by 'Mrs Kelly' who drove around in a WW2 surplus bowser.
It was a 'friendly' looking little vehicle which could have become a character in a kid's story :-)
bower
tower
There was an advert in the local paper offering a 'Bicycle Tower, with cover, can hold three bicycles.'
My immediate thought was it had to be some kind of vertically stacking bicycle rack. Sounded like a good idea for people with limited garden space.
Turns out it was a bicycle trailer, to tow behind your car.
Yes, I read it as a space-saver too. I'm not sure "tower" in the sense of something to tow is a word. I'd go with trailer.
towel
bowel
bowl
cowl
scowl
scow
cows
bows
boss
loss
lass
bass
bans
fans
not the only ones
cans
scan
scant
cant
want
went
sent
bent
bend
bind
wind
wine
twine
twins
wins
wits
wets
west
pest
pert
peat
feat
fear
near
bear
bar
bare
tare
tear
wear
weir
weird
wired
tired
tried
fried
fired
wired
mired (stuck in a bog)
mire
sire
sure
pure
pore
port
post
most
moot
mood
hood
hoot
shoot
shout
spout
snout
snoot
soot
soon
spoon
spook
spork
a combination of spoon and fork, popular with people who like to eat standing up. Personally, I can't see what's wrong with a table and chair.
spark
I believe the spork was originally intended as convenient tool for anyone with only one hand. Rather like the 'Nelson Knife' which has a curved blade so tough food can be cut by pressing against the plate with a rocking action, and a double or triple prong cut in the end to stab and pick up the bits. They work rather well if properly sharp.
Dad had one after his accident. He became quite adept with it. Like many things designed for the disabled the spork became a 'trendy 'look at me, I'm special' statement rather than just a pragmatic solution.
The spork is also popular with 'extreme lightweight' backpackers, desperate to save every possible ounce of weight. These crazed minimalists will cut the handle off a toothbrush to save half an ounce.
That had never occurred to me. I've only ever seen them used at buffets.
parks
perks
jerks
jerk
I thought sporks were a fast food thing so I asked the internet what AI thought and it thought this:
The word "spork" (a portmanteau of "spoon" and "fork") emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Evolving from early Victorian "ice cream forks" and "terrapin spoons", it became a mass-market staple when fast-food chains began distributing them in the 1970s.
Whoever knew that terrapins can use spoons!
jerky
perky
porky
parky
May need translating. North of England for "My, it's a little chilly outside!"
park
It felt 'a bit parky' on Thursday when I opened the front door. Then the back door and all the windows. It wasn't really cold at all, but in comparison to the day before a mere 65F felt absolutely delightful.
See, my comfort level has improved enough for me to lose the troublesome 'Y' for you.
Much appreciated.
bark
lark
lank
sank
stank
stand
staid
said
paid
raid
rabid
rapid
raped
drape
grape
gape
tape
taper
taser
taster
aster
faster
master
muster
Mister
miser
muser (One who muses.)
mused
fused
fumed
famed
framed
frayed
prayed
prayer
sprayer
sprayed
strayed
strafed
strafe
strife
strive
strove
For those who've given up striving.
trove
for those who kept on striving when everyone else gave up
rove
grove
a nice place to rove in
groove
grooved
groover
Which cries out for this timeless link about the Mississippi Groover. Which is probably not at all PC these days, but it still makes me smile. Which I've always assumed to be the main point of comedy. Which is why a lot of modern so-called comedy leave my funny bone entirely untickled.
https://youtu.be/btS7-UoK2Oo
groomer
roomer
boomer
boozer
booze
ooze
doze
dope
rope
cope
cove
cave
save
salve
valve
halve
calve
calved
(I suspect I'm just kicking the can down the road here)
calmed (likewise)
calmer
chalmer
Scottish for chamber
I thought it was a word I had read but this isn't what I thought it was. But apparently it is a word.
chalder
Another Scottish peculiarity, this time for measuring grain. Wikipedia helpfully defines it as equivalent to 16 bolls, or just under 12 Winchester quarters.
Is everyone happy with a reset? If so, then lets start with...
reset
Good call, Gyppo!
rest
Best
This is one of my favourite games. We encounter all kinds of new or fascinating dialect words, and regional anomalies, but we do sometimes come to a grinding halt in a linguistic cul-de-sac ;-) Then we wait patiently in case someone else has an amazing escape route.
But sometimes we're...
beat
bean
bane
mane
mare
mere
mire
hire
heir
hear
shear
sear
sea
pea
pear
peat
pet
pat
pit
spit
spite
spate
spare
share
shark
hark
ark
art
dart
drat
brat
bran
brand
band
bend
mend
rend
rind
hind
hand
hard
herd
heard
beard
bread
bred
brad (A small nail.)
bad
bid
bide
ride
rile
rifle
rife
riff
rift
drift
draft
raft
rat
brat
Brit
writ
write
trite
tribe
bribe
bride
ride
tide
wide
wife
wine
vine
vibe
vile
tile
till
tall
tell
sell
self
shelf
shell
hell
hall
hail
wail
wall
walk
talk
stalk
stale
stave
shave
slave
save
have
hate
late
slate
slake
lake
leak
weak
tweak
teak
take
tame
team
ream
dream
dram
A unit of liquid measure.
tram
tray
stray
stay
stag
sag
wag
hag
hog
bog
bug
bung
hung
hang
hand
hind
find
fink
funk
hunk
chunk
chink
chick
chock
clock
click
flick
flock
lock
lack
sack
shack
hack
hark
park
spark
spare
share
shave
have
hake
wake
wade
Wading knee deep through empty bottles. spilled alcohol, and people passed out on the floor.. Now that's what I call a wake ;-)
=====
Q: What's the difference between an Irish wedding and an Irish funeral?
A: One less drunk at the second.
===
fade
fame
tame
tome
tote
tope
Either a fish which looks a bit like a miniature shark,
or,
to drink to excess, earning the label of a Toper. Which does sound a bit more respectable than being 'just another pisshead'.
cope
cape
case
cave
cove
cover
hover
hovel
shovel
shove
hove
hoe
doe
dote
dope
mope
lope
slope
scope
score
scorn
corn
porn
port
pert
pest
rest
crest
crust
crush
brush
brash
brass
Bass
base
baste
haste
paste
waste
wasted
waited
baited
bated
as breath
fated
fatted
(As in the biblical fatted calf, who must have hoped the prodigal son would stay away forever.)
There's a story about a schools inspector, asking a class of Yorkshire children if they thought everyone was truly overjoyed at the return of the prodigal son. After a few moments thought one of them put his hand up.
"Appen the fatted calf wasn't best pleased, Sir."
patted
patter
pitter
potter
otter
utter
mutter
butter
Butte
A hill with a flat top
butts
Backstop - or a safe area- for archery practice.
busts
I don't care what kind
bursts
burst
burnt
bunt
In aerobatics a bunt is an 'outside loop' where the pilot turns the nose down instead of upwards, and flies with his head on the outside of the loop. This is unusual, and causes the blood to rush to the head, and can cause a 'red-out' as opposed to a 'blackout'. Rarely performed, and looks quite impossible when you see it.
It puts both plane and pilot under more stress than just about anything else too.
hunt
hurt
yurt
curt
curd
cord
core
score
scare
cares
fares
fades
wades
wader
wander
wonder
yonder
fonder
founder
sounder
sunder
as to tear apart
under
ender
tender
bender
binder
minder
miner
finer
fined
fired
fried
tried
cried
riced
as in potatoes. Which is no way to treat a potato, but people do it anyway.
priced
it's sadder when they do it to cauliflower
The triumph of style over substance. Which should be a capital offence.
pried
prised
praised
braised
raised
raided
braided
brained (As in being hit on the noggin with a hefty object.)
rained
(as in being hit on the noggin with a large number of light objects)
railed
as in "railed against" whatever
sailed
failed
mailed (As in a blow from a mailed fist.)
Or indeed posted, which is more common, at least in the last five hundred years!
bailed
which may, or may not, happen to people who hit other people with a mailed fist
failed
You had failed three moves ago, Chick!
filed
I didn't scroll up that far.
piled
plied
as in one's trade
lied
led
fled
flee
lee
let
lent
bent
best
vest
vast
last
blast
blasé
the temptation was too great for me to resist
Now you're just showing off!
base
vase
vale
pale
pile
pole
sole
hole
hone
cone
core
score
sore
sole
mole
move
movie
moxie
Seem to be stuck on this one. Let's try...
moist
hoist
host
hot
shot
slot
blot
boot
foot
fool
tool
toll
tall
stall
shall
shell
hell
help
yelp
kelp
keep
weep
seep
skep
a woven straw beehive
skip
ship
chip
chimp
chime
crime
rime (hard icy frost)
time
tome
home
hove
shove
shore
shorn
scorn
score
scope
slope
slop
slap
snap
snip
nip
nib
rib
crib
crab
craw
draw
drag
rag
rage
page
pane
pine
spine
shine
shire
shore
whore
wore
worn
worm
warm
swarm
swam
slam
clam
clap
clamp
lamp
lamb
jamb
jam
ham
hem
hemp
help
hell
shell
spell
swell
sell
seal
sale
shale
scale
stale
stall
stalk
talks
walks
walls
wells
swell
smell
spell
spill
pill
poll
toll
tole
role
rope
cope