longest word using a, c, e, g, ...

[Charles Blair]

Last week NPR's puzzle feature asked what the longest non-
contrived word was using only alternate letters of the alphabet.
I missed the answer. The best I could come up with was ``successes.''

PS I know this can be done using unix tools, but I'm lazy.

[Robert Michael Jarvis]

ceb...@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Charles Blair) writes:

SPOILER:

acquiesces is the longest I could find.

Mike

[Chris Cole]

The longest I can find has 13 letters: "gammacismuses", which are
difficulties in pronouncing velar consonants (as \g\ and \k\).

[Guy Cousineau]

In a previous article, ceb...@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Charles Blair) says:

> Last week NPR's puzzle feature asked what the longest non-
>contrived word was using only alternate letters of the alphabet.
>I missed the answer. The best I could come up with was ``successes.''
>

SUCCESSES
ACQUIESCES...where's N and L when you need them :-)

I am sure we can do better...where are those on-line word lists?

Guy

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[Ed Hanway]

Guy Cousineau (ab...@Freenet.carleton.ca) wrote:

: In a previous article, ceb...@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Charles Blair) says:

: > Last week NPR's puzzle feature asked what the longest non-
: >contrived word was using only alternate letters of the alphabet.
: >I missed the answer. The best I could come up with was ``successes.''
: >
: SUCCESSES
: ACQUIESCES...where's N and L when you need them :-)
:
: I am sure we can do better...where are those on-line word lists?

% egrep -i -v '[bdfhjlnprtvxz]' web2 |
awk '{print length($1) " " $1}' | sort -r -n | head -30
12 Eucommiaceae
11 squamaceous
11 semisuccess
11 semisimious
11 semiosseous
11 mimosaceous
11 megaseismic
11 mayacaceous
11 gammacismus
10 sequacious
10 semimucous
10 mesocaecum
10 massasauga
10 massageuse
10 isoseismic
10 isoosmosis
10 icosasemic
10 gemmaceous
10 ekacaesium
10 couscousou
10 cacogeusia
10 ammiaceous
10 Missisauga
10 Mimosaceae
10 Mayacaceae
10 Coccomyces
10 Cassiaceae
9 squeamous
9 squamosis
9 squameous

--
Ed Hanway --- j...@raster.kodak.com
This message is packed as full as practicable by modern automated equipment.
Contents may settle during shipment.

[Alex MacDonald]

"Sussus Amogus" technically counts

[Richard Heathfield]

That looks like two words to me.

I offer: "gammacismus", for 11 letters. Unlike your offerings, at the
time of writing it has its own Wiktionary page, which of course isn't
definitive but does at least provide a certain amount of reassurance of
non-contrivedness.

--
Richard Heathfield
Email: rjh at cpax dot org dot uk
"Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29 July 1999
Sig line 4 vacant - apply within

[Richard Tobin]

In article <sd4pmr$jpp$1...@dont-email.me>,

Richard Heathfield <r...@cpax.org.uk> wrote:
>On 19/07/2021 16:49, Alex MacDonald wrote:
>> On Monday, June 28, 1993 at 10:38:25 PM UTC-7, Charles Blair wrote:
>>> Last week NPR's puzzle feature asked what the longest non-
>>> contrived word was using only alternate letters of the alphabet.
>>> I missed the answer. The best I could come up with was ``successes.''
>>> PS I know this can be done using unix tools, but I'm lazy.
>> "Sussus Amogus" technically counts

>That looks like two words to me.
>
>I offer: "gammacismus", for 11 letters. Unlike your offerings, at the
>time of writing it has its own Wiktionary page, which of course isn't
>definitive but does at least provide a certain amount of reassurance of
>non-contrivedness.

"squamaceous" is a perfectly cromulent word.

-- Richard

[leflynn]

The longest word that I find using only the even elements of the alphabet is only three letters long.
L. Flynn

[Richard Heathfield]

Vowels are mighty scarce, sir - *mighty* scarce!

[leflynn]

And no help even from the Welsh...
Why you could look through almost the entire dictionary before finding it.
L. Flynn

[leflynn]

For the even letters, some resources give ​"brrr" as a word.
I was thinking of "zzz" . There is also "nth".
L. Flynn

[Phil Carmody]

Richard Heathfield <r...@cpax.org.uk> writes:
> On 20/07/2021 19:27, leflynn wrote:
>> On Tuesday, July 20, 2021 at 5:55:03 AM UTC-4, Richard Tobin wrote:
>>> In article <sd4pmr$jpp$1...@dont-email.me>,
>>> Richard Heathfield <r...@cpax.org.uk> wrote:
>>>> On 19/07/2021 16:49, Alex MacDonald wrote:
>>>>> On Monday, June 28, 1993 at 10:38:25 PM UTC-7, Charles Blair
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>> Last week NPR's puzzle feature asked what the longest non-
>>>>>> contrived word was using only alternate letters of the alphabet.
>>>>>> I missed the answer. The best I could come up with was
>>>>>> ``successes.''
>>>>>> PS I know this can be done using unix tools, but I'm lazy.
>>>>> "Sussus Amogus" technically counts
>>>
>>>> That looks like two words to me.
>>>>
>>>> I offer: "gammacismus", for 11 letters. Unlike your offerings, at
>>>> the
>>>> time of writing it has its own Wiktionary page, which of course
>>>> isn't
>>>> definitive but does at least provide a certain amount of
>>>> reassurance of
>>>> non-contrivedness.
>>> "squamaceous" is a perfectly cromulent word.
>>

>> The longest word that I find using only the even elements of the
>> alphabet is only three letters long.
>

> Vowels are mighty scarce, sir - *mighty* scarce!

Pfft! When's that stopped a rec.puzzler from cheating.
Nonwords do come to the rescue. "Brr" is probably just
on the right side of the line to count. "Blvd." almost
certainly isn't. But that doesn't matter, as I obviously
have a better 4.

Phil

--
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gained some understanding of the world in which we live. As such, we can cast
aside childish remnants from the dawn of our civilization.
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[leflynn]

Well "Phpht!" to all of us for using such words.
L. Flynn

[henh...@gmail.com]

Re: longest word using a, c, e, g, ...

i see... we can't use M

otherwise, we could 've (maybe) picked words in ending in WM

BWM, cwm, DWM, GWM, PWM, SWM, BWWM

oh... BWWM is only an acroynym.

[leflynn]

Not unless you think that 23 is even.
Proof 23 is even:
13 is even.
23 - 13 = 10
10 is a multiple of 2.
QED: 23 is even.
As I said,

> > > And no help even from the Welsh...

>