c4countdown

Using the Countmax dictionary, I've come up with some statistics (or really, oddities).

There are no nine letter words with 7 vowels, (Y is counted as a consonant) but there are 21 with 6 vowels :

AQUILEGIA
ARAUCARIA
AUBRIETIA
AUDACIOUS
AUDIOBOOK
AUDIOTAPE
AUDITORIA
AUTOROUTE
BEAUTEOUS
BOOBOISIE
DIOECIOUS
EQUIPOISE
EQUIVOQUE
IDEOLOGUE
IONOPAUSE
LEUKAEMIA
MEIOFAUNA
OCEANARIA
OLEACEOUS
OLIGAEMIA
RELIQUIAE

And with only one vowel there are :

CRYPTONYM
DYSTHYMIC
DYSTROPHY
FLYSPECKS
GYPSYWORT
HYDROXYLS
HYPERNYMS
KLYSTRONS
LYNCHPINS
POLYPTYCH
PSYCHISMS
SCHMALTZY
SKYLIGHTS
SPRIGHTLY
STRENGTHS
STYLISHLY
SYMPHYLAN
SYMPHYSES
SYMPHYSIS
SYMPLASMS
SYMPLASTS
SYNCHRONY
TRIGLYPHS
TRIPTYCHS
TWELFTHLY

All of which contain the Y as a vowel, apart from STRENGTHS.

Martin

While I'm here, the biggest frequency of each letter in a nine letter word are :

A: 4 times, 25 examples one of which one is ACHALASIA

B: 3 times, 12 examples of which one is BEDABBLED

C: 4 times, the only example if CACHECTIC

D: 4 times, the only example is DISBUDDED

E: 4 times, 42 examples of which one is BEEFEATER

F: only 3, 9 examples of which one is EFFORTFUL

G: 3, 33 examples of which one is AGGREGATE

H: 3, 4 times of which one if CHIHUAHUA

I: 4 times, the only one is PIRIPIRIS

J: no word with two J's in!

K: 3, only one word, KICKBACKS

L: 4 times, the only two words are HILLBILLY and ILLEGALLY

M: 4 times, MAMMIFORM and MAMMOGRAM

N: 4 times, CANNONING

O: 4, 22 times, BLOODROOT

P: 3, 15 words total, PAPPYSHOW

Q: EQUIVOQUE is the only words with two Q's

R: 4 times, REFERRERS is the only one

S: 5 times and 5 examples, one of which is ASSASSINS

T: 4 times and 4 examples, ATTRITTED

U: just 3 U's, 15 examples of which the first is FRUCTUOUS

V: only two, ADVECTIVE

W: only two examples with three W's : POWWOWING and WILLIWAWS

X: EXECUTRIX and EXOTOXINS, two each

Y: 96 words with two Y's, ABYSMALLY for example

Z: 53 words with two Z's, ALBIZZIAS is the first alphabetically.

Martin

Martin Gardner wrote:While I'm here, the biggest frequency of each letter in a nine letter word are :

A: 4 times, 25 examples one of which one is ACHALASIA
B: 3 times, 12 examples of which one is BEDABBLED
C: 4 times, the only example if CACHECTIC
D: 4 times, the only example is DISBUDDED
E: 4 times, 42 examples of which one is BEEFEATER
F: only 3, 9 examples of which one is EFFORTFUL
G: 3, 33 examples of which one is AGGREGATE
H: 3, 4 times of which one if CHIHUAHUA
I: 4 times, the only one is PIRIPIRIS
J: no word with two J's in!
K: 3, only one word, KICKBACKS
L: 4 times, the only two words are HILLBILLY and ILLEGALLY
M: 4 times, MAMMIFORM and MAMMOGRAM
N: 4 times, CANNONING
O: 4, 22 times, BLOODROOT
P: 3, 15 words total, PAPPYSHOW
Q: EQUIVOQUE is the only words with two Q's
R: 4 times, REFERRERS is the only one
S: 5 times and 5 examples, one of which is ASSASSINS
T: 4 times and 4 examples, ATTRITTED
U: just 3 U's, 15 examples of which the first is FRUCTUOUS
V: only two, ADVECTIVE
W: only two examples with three W's : POWWOWING and WILLIWAWS
X: EXECUTRIX and EXOTOXINS, two each
Y: 96 words with two Y's, ABYSMALLY for example
Z: 53 words with two Z's, ALBIZZIAS is the first alphabetically.

Martin

This is quite an impressive list. I thought there might've been at least one obscure 9-letter word with 2 J's, because you at least have the word JEJUNE.

Well it is only nine letters, not up to nine letters. I'm using a French program called Aide aux jeux de lettres which I can use any dictionary with, as long as it's correctly formatted. I can come up with almost any word list using the features in combination. Just don't ask for definitions because it won't do that.

Martin

Martin Gardner wrote:Well it is only nine letters, not up to nine letters. I'm using a French program called Aide aux jeux de lettres which I can use any dictionary with, as long as it's correctly formatted. I can come up with almost any word list using the features in combination. Just don't ask for definitions because it won't do that.

Martin

I am actually going to try and learn how to create macros (in Microsoft Excel) to find particular word lists. I am interested in possibly compiling a book in which to use as a study aid for Countdown events.

You could do that, or I'll do it all for free. Provided everything you suggest is doable, it literally takes seconds to make one list.

Martin

Martin Gardner wrote:You could do that, or I'll do it all for free. Provided everything you suggest is doable, it literally takes seconds to make one list.

Martin

I could try my hand at designing a macro and then if succesfull and I get a list going by my queries, I could always check with you to make sure that the words you get match mine.

I think this is all the 5-vowelled 9's you can have too (where the 5 vowels are A, E, I, O and U).

ALIQUOTED, ANDOUILLE, ANEUPLOID, ARMOURIES, ARSENIOUS, AUCTIONED, AURISCOPE, AUTHORISE, AUTHORIZE, AUTOCRINE, AUTOGENIC, AUTOMIZED, AUTOMIZES, AUTOPSIED, AUTOPSIES, AUTOTELIC, BEHAVIOUR, CAUTIONED, DIALOGUED, DIALOGUES, EDUCATION, EMULATION, EQUATIONS, EQUIVOCAL, EUPHORBIA, EXUDATION, FACETIOUS, FAVOURITE, GUANOSINE, HOUSEMAID, INOCULATE, INQUORATE, ISOBUTANE, JAILHOUSE, JALOUSIES, KETONURIA, MICACEOUS, NEFARIOUS, NEUROGLIA, NOUGATINE, ODALISQUE, ORTANIQUE, OSSUARIES, OUTSAILED, OUTWAITED, PNEUMONIA, SAVOURIES, TENACIOUS, TRIALOGUE, UROKINASE, UVAROVITE, VERACIOUS, VEXATIOUS, VINACEOUS