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8s which are always winners

Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 3:03 am
by Clare Sudbery
Someone linked to this handy page on countdown wiki a while ago, which lists 7-letter words which are never the max (because each one only contains 2 vowels and the addition of any vowel will give you an 8-letter word).

But according to Mark Tournoff's book, there is also an "8s which are always winners" list... and I wondered if anyone could find a link for me (I've tried, but failed)?

Re: 8s which are always winners

Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 9:01 am
by Jon Corby
By "8s which are always winners", do you just mean 8s to which you can't add any letter to make a 9? There'll be literally thousands of them surely?

Re: 8s which are always winners

Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 9:37 am
by Clare Sudbery
Yeah, good point.

Re: 8s which are always winners

Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 10:58 am
by Martin Gardner
Clare Sudbery wrote:Someone linked to this handy page on countdown wiki a while ago, which lists 7-letter words which are never the max (because each one only contains 2 vowels and the addition of any vowel will give you an 8-letter word).

But according to Mark Tournoff's book, there is also an "8s which are always winners" list... and I wondered if anyone could find a link for me (I've tried, but failed)?
I'd interpret that to mean an eight letter word that doesn't give a nine or any other eight, therefore it's a darren. Or possibly an eight that never gives a nine, no matter what the other letter is. Yes, that makes more sense.