The only word in the english language.... 3

YNOTU · Oct 5, 2004

Ok guys, I know one of you will know this one

Q. What's the only word in the english language that contains 3 different sets of letters consecutively as part of the word?

I'm know that right away you think of [COLOR=blue yellow]Mississippi but that's not it.

Eventhough Mississippi contains 3 sets of letters, they are neither consecutively nor different...[/color]

LFI · Oct 5, 2004

I'm not sure what you mean by 'set,' unless you mean:

[white]double letters[/white]

...in which case, my answer is:

[white]bookkeeper[/white]

--Dave

YNOTU · Oct 5, 2004

That was too easy.... ;-)

ESquared · Oct 5, 2004

Not to be pedantic, but there are three more (as revealed by my super duper Dictionary table on my SQL Server):

Code:

[white]bookkeep
bookkeepers
bookkeeping
[/white]

Hehe.

Code:

DECLARE @N table (
   Num int identity(1,1))

WHILE SCOPE_IDENTITY() < 50 BEGIN
   INSERT INTO @N DEFAULT VALUES
END

SELECT
      Word
   FROM Dictionary D
      INNER JOIN @N N ON N.Num <= D.WordLength - 5
   WHERE
      WordLength >=6
      AND SubString(Word,Num,1)=Substring(Word,Num+1,1)
      AND SubString(Word,Num+2,1)=Substring(Word,Num+3,1)
      AND SubString(Word,Num+4,1)=Substring(Word,Num+5,1)
      AND SubString(Word,Num,1)<>SubString(Word,Num+2,1)
      AND SubString(Word,Num,1)<>SubString(Word,Num+4,1)

I really enjoy the wordplay puzzles that are susceptible to SQLing this way, because I really like SQLing! Got any more for me to try my hand at?

-------------------------------------
It is better to have honor than a good reputation.
(Reputation is what other people think about you. Honor is what you know about yourself.)

donutman · Oct 9, 2004

Well, you certainly continue to WOW me with your SQLing. I like the While Scope_Identity trick and the join is too clever. Didn't you leave off:
AND SubString(Word,Num+2,1)<>SubString(Word,Num+4,1)
although based on the output I assume it wasn't needed. I also assume the first <> wasn't needed either. What new words do you get if you leave off the 2nd <>?
-Karl

[red] Cursors, triggers, user-defined functions and dynamic SQL are an axis of evil![/red]
[green]Life's uncertain...eat dessert first...www.deerfieldbakery.com[/green]

ESquared · Oct 9, 2004

Hi Karl!

Good to see you.

You're right, I left off a clause! Nice catch!

For what it's worth, sometimes the SCOPE_IDENTITY() trick doesn't work. But that can be fixed by putting the insert default values line once before the while loop.

There are no new results after removing the <> clauses.

But, I changed the query to search for all words with three double-letter patterns, not necessarily adjacent, and got quite a list! Some are very funny. Woollybutt?

accessibleness, accessorii, accessoriness, accommodativeness, addressee, addressees, aggressiveness, allottee, allottees, antiinsurrectionally, appellee, appellees, arrowwood, assessee, assessees, barrenness, bitterroot, bloodlessness, bookkeep, bookkeeper, bookkeepers, bookkeeping, cheerlessness, classlessness, coappellee, coappellees, committee, committeeman, committeemen, committees, committeewoman, committeewomen, commonness, effortlessness, footlessness, greenness, heedlessness, heelless, immunosuppressant, immunosuppressants, immunosuppression, immunosuppressive, keelless, keenness, Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, masslessness, mcconnell, Mississippi, Mississippian, mississippians, needlessness, noncommittally, nonpossessiveness, nonsuccessiveness, oppressiveness, pennilessness, possessiveness, prepossessingness, rootlessness, rottenness, sleeplessness, soddenness, soullessness, speechlessness, stubbornness, subcommittee, subcommittees, successfully, successfulness, successiveness, successlessness (4!), suddenness, sullenness, tallahassee, tennessee, tennesseeans, toolless, toothlessness, treelessness, uncommonness, unnecessariness, unneedfully, unsuccessfully, unsuccessfulness, wheelless, whippoorwill, whippoorwills, woodenness, woolliness, woollybutt, yellowweed, yellowwood.

Code:

SELECT
      Word
   FROM Dictionary D
      INNER JOIN @N N ON N.Num <= D.WordLength - 1
   WHERE
      WordLength >=6
      AND SubString(Word,Num,1)=Substring(Word,Num+1,1)
	GROUP BY
		Word
	HAVING
		Count(*) >= 3

-------------------------------------
It is better to have honor than a good reputation.
(Reputation is what other people think about you. Honor is what you know about yourself.)

donutman · Oct 9, 2004

I was scanning the list for 4, then I saw that you had already marked it! So where did you get the dictionary? It includes city names too, Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, or just the one?
So how many SPs have you written in order to play every type of word game imaginable?
-Karl

[red] Cursors, triggers, user-defined functions and dynamic SQL are an axis of evil![/red]
[green]Life's uncertain...eat dessert first...www.deerfieldbakery.com[/green]

ESquared · Oct 9, 2004

The dictionary is just a free one I found, on a web page which had every word on that one page.

I doubt I'll be able to get a better one for free. This dictioanry is good for my purposes, because even though it has some proper nouns and other things that aren't technicaly okay for wordplay, it generally has all word forms. I can filter out the junk as long as it gives me the things I need, which it usually does!

I've used the dictionary and SQL to build several of the puzzles I've submitted in this forum.

-------------------------------------
It is better to have honor than a good reputation.
(Reputation is what other people think about you. Honor is what you know about yourself.)

NotSoVisual · Oct 25, 2004

ONE MORE ................
..........
"WOOLLY"

ESquared · Oct 30, 2004

Woolly only has two sets of double letters, not three.

-------------------------------------
It is better to have honor than a good reputation.
(Reputation is what other people think about you. Honor is what you know about yourself.)

NotSoVisual · Oct 30, 2004

Esquared...An interesting principle that I have learned in my years is called "delayed or deferred judgement". When brainstorming or in situations like this form it is best to practice that. To do this you must first find the good and see how that will work. Instead of finding I am wrong look for how I am correct! I suggest you start here. Then We'll go back to the polygon interiors. How was Brasil? I accept your apology.

NotSoVisual · Oct 30, 2004

I thought that if you all didn't catch this it might fit here. See if you can count at:

http://www.coorslight.com/beergame

donutman · Oct 31, 2004

After reading your thread on polygon interiors, I've been trying to think of a better defination of a polygon. I don't mean one that must depict a convex polygon, but one that will reject a coiled snake. Where do you draw the line...hehe

-Karl

[red] Cursors, triggers, user-defined functions and dynamic SQL are an axis of evil![/red]
[green]Life's uncertain...eat dessert first...www.deerfieldbakery.com[/green]

ESquared · Oct 31, 2004

NotSoVisual,

Would you please tell me what I am missing? Unless you are starting some new kind of wordplay with new rules, woolly doesn't fit the criteria given in the initial post in this thread.

In my judgment, deferred judgment in this case is unwarranted. [smile]

Think of the half-empty, half-full conundrum. I call something half full when I am filling it, and half empty when I am drinking it. To say that one should always see the glass as half full is to miss some good assessment tools and make errors in judgment.

-------------------------------------
It is better to have honor than a good reputation.
(Reputation is what other people think about you. Honor is what you know about yourself.)

NotSoVisual · Oct 31, 2004

Woolly... Double u, double o, double l, y.
Three double consecutive letters! q.e.d.
Sorry about that..well not really!

ESquared · Oct 31, 2004

Nice pun on that one. [smile]

For what it's worth, I fully acknowledge that I could benefit in some cases by greater use of deferred judgment. I had a nice post written up in this thread last night, but my internet connection went down and I lost the post as I submitted it.

One of my great weaknesses is tunnel vision. And one of my great strengths is tunnel vision. My sister says that I am one of the smartest people she has ever met, but also says that I can be surprisingly dense and miss things that most people would understand. Win some, lose some, I guess they say.

E²

-------------------------------------
It is better to have honor than a good reputation.
(Reputation is what other people think about you. Honor is what you know about yourself.)

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The only word in the english language.... 3

YNOTU

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LFI

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YNOTU

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ESquared

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donutman

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ESquared

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donutman

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ESquared

Programmer

NotSoVisual

Technical User

ESquared

Programmer

NotSoVisual

Technical User

NotSoVisual

Technical User

donutman

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ESquared

Programmer

NotSoVisual

Technical User

ESquared

Programmer

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