A-E-I-O-U

Eoin Monaghan · Post by **Eoin Monaghan** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 1:39 pm

What is the shortest word you can make using all the vowels in alphabetical order.
I don't know the answer.

Martin Gardner · Post by **Martin Gardner** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 1:56 pm

I do! FACETIOUS, and if you want to count the Y as a vowel as well, FACETIOUSLY!

Sorry if I spoiled this for everyone.

Edit: and in French it's APERIODIQUE although that uses some extra vowels (more than 5), but it does fit your question.

Charlie Reams · Post by **Charlie Reams** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 2:01 pm

As for non-alphabetical order, EULOGIA and SEQUOIA are about as short as you can get I think. French has OISEAU which is pretty much unbeatable.

Eoin Monaghan · Post by **Eoin Monaghan** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 2:05 pm

Sorry if I spoiled this for everyone.

Nope, I actually had heard the answer before but forgot it.

Phil Reynolds · Post by **Phil Reynolds** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 2:12 pm

On a related theme, what is the longest English word in which all the letters are in alphabetical order? I know there are lots of 6s (BIOPSY is the one I always remember for some reason), but are there any that are longer? And no, I don't know the answer.

Simon Myers · Post by **Simon Myers** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 2:35 pm

Phil Reynolds wrote:On a related theme, what is the longest English word in which all the letters are in alphabetical order? I know there are lots of 6s (BIOPSY is the one I always remember for some reason), but are there any that are longer? And no, I don't know the answer.

Not in the ODE, but check out Aegilops (does have a valid ODE-anagram though).

Charlie Reams · Post by **Charlie Reams** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 2:49 pm

Phil Reynolds wrote:On a related theme, what is the longest English word in which all the letters are in alphabetical order? I know there are lots of 6s (BIOPSY is the one I always remember for some reason), but are there any that are longer? And no, I don't know the answer.

BEEFILY and BILLOWY.

Joseph Bolas · Post by **Joseph Bolas** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 3:04 pm

Charlie Reams wrote:
Phil Reynolds wrote:On a related theme, what is the longest English word in which all the letters are in alphabetical order? I know there are lots of 6s (BIOPSY is the one I always remember for some reason), but are there any that are longer? And no, I don't know the answer.
BEEFILY and BILLOWY.

Also if you were to focus on reverse alphabetical order as well, you can have SPONGED for 7.

Gary Male · Post by **Gary Male** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 3:57 pm

Martin Gardner wrote:I do! FACETIOUS, and if you want to count the Y as a vowel as well, FACETIOUSLY!

Sorry if I spoiled this for everyone.

It's not a spoiler at all, as there's an 8 in Chambers. I have heard this before so I won't reveal all just yet.

Ian Volante · Post by **Ian Volante** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 1:26 am

ABSTEMIOUS and ABSTEMIOUSLY too.

Peter Mabey · Post by **Peter Mabey** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 1:34 pm

CAESIOUS, though not in ODE2r, I think.

Neil Zussman · Post by **Neil Zussman** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 10:33 am

Joseph Bolas wrote:
Charlie Reams wrote:
Phil Reynolds wrote:On a related theme, what is the longest English word in which all the letters are in alphabetical order? I know there are lots of 6s (BIOPSY is the one I always remember for some reason), but are there any that are longer? And no, I don't know the answer.
BEEFILY and BILLOWY.
Also if you were to focus on reverse alphabetical order as well, you can have SPONGED for 7.

IIRC, the longest word with regards to reverse alphabetical order is SPOONFEED. If you outlaw repeated letters, that's a different kettle of fish...

David O'Donnell · Post by **David O'Donnell** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 6:40 pm

Neil Zussman wrote:If you outlaw repeated letters, that's a different kettle of fish...

Surely ... a difernt kl o sh?

Clare Sudbery · Post by **Clare Sudbery** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 8:59 pm

Has anyone ever played the game... on my island the inhabitants have feet and knees but no legs?

Dinos Sfyris · Post by **Dinos Sfyris** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 12:08 am

I may regret this Clare, but do explain...

Neil Zussman · Post by **Neil Zussman** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 5:59 pm

David O'Donnell wrote:
Neil Zussman wrote:If you outlaw repeated letters, that's a different kettle of fish...
Surely ... a difernt kl o sh?

Very good. Without repeated letters most of David O'Donnell disappears... And Countdw would be a lot more difficult too.

Clare Sudbery wrote:Has anyone ever played the game... on my island the inhabitants have feet and knees but no legs?

I always knew Manchester was a strange place

(not that I wish to offend any Mancunians, of course).

Gary Male · Post by **Gary Male** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 6:02 pm

Neil Zussman wrote: I always knew Manchester was a strange place (not that I wish to offend any Mancunians, of course).

As John Shuttleworth sang, "You're like Manchester, you've got Strangeways"

Daniel O'Dowd · Post by **Daniel O'Dowd** » Mon Jan 26, 2009 12:29 am

From ancient Greek, you can have Eunoia.

ETA: Wikipedia has subsequently told me that it is Modern Greek for mind.

Also:

Iouea is a genus of Cretaceous fossil sponges.

Joseph Bolas · Post by **Joseph Bolas** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 10:10 pm

Martin Gardner wrote:I do! FACETIOUS, and if you want to count the Y as a vowel as well, FACETIOUSLY!

Going by a previous post of mine in another thread, there is a total of 54 9-letter Countdown words that contain A, E, I, O and U, and as well as FACETIOUS, there is actually another 9-letter word to contain the vowels in order.

Ian Volante · Post by **Ian Volante** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 11:17 pm

Joseph Bolas wrote:
Martin Gardner wrote:I do! FACETIOUS, and if you want to count the Y as a vowel as well, FACETIOUSLY!
Going by a previous post of mine in another thread, there is a total of 54 9-letter Countdown words that contain A, E, I, O and U, and as well as FACETIOUS, there is actually another 9-letter word to contain the vowels in order.

I mentioned ABSTEMIOUS further up the page.

Joseph Bolas · Post by **Joseph Bolas** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 11:26 pm

Ian Volante wrote:
Joseph Bolas wrote:
Martin Gardner wrote:I do! FACETIOUS, and if you want to count the Y as a vowel as well, FACETIOUSLY!
Going by a previous post of mine in another thread, there is a total of 54 9-letter Countdown words that contain A, E, I, O and U, and as well as FACETIOUS, there is actually another 9-letter word to contain the vowels in order.
I mentioned ABSTEMIOUS further up the page.

I saw that post, but ABSTEMIOUS is 10-letters long

Ian Volante · Post by **Ian Volante** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 7:45 am

Joseph Bolas wrote:
Ian Volante wrote:
Joseph Bolas wrote:
Going by a previous post of mine in another thread, there is a total of 54 9-letter Countdown words that contain A, E, I, O and U, and as well as FACETIOUS, there is actually another 9-letter word to contain the vowels in order.
I mentioned ABSTEMIOUS further up the page.
I saw that post, but ABSTEMIOUS is 10-letters long

Not if you say it with your mouth shut

Joseph Bolas · Post by **Joseph Bolas** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 12:44 am

Ian Volante wrote:
Joseph Bolas wrote:
Ian Volante wrote:I mentioned ABSTEMIOUS further up the page.
I saw that post, but ABSTEMIOUS is 10-letters long
Not if you say it with your mouth shut

The word that I was on about was ARSENIOUS

c4countdown

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