Letter Frequency

[Tracey Lilly]

I have often wondered if the same frequency of each letters are available each day and just reshuffled for each game.
For example there is only ever one of q, z, j and x but what about the other letters.
Today three p's came out in one selection with a fourth p in the next round so are there only ever a maximum of say four p's available in the whole game?
Perhaps someone knows the answer!

[Ian Volante]

I thought they were on http://apterous.org/cdb but I can't find them.

This thread (http://www.c4countdown.co.uk/viewtopic. ... &sk=t&sd=a) may also come in handy.

[Tracey Lilly]

Thanks Ian for satisfying my curiosity.

[Adam Dexter]

Thanks Ian for satisfying my curiosity.

I was wondering this as well

[Joseph Bolas]

Is it possible to find out/work out, what the letter frequency was when Countdown was the 9-round format?

[Mike Brown]

You may also find this useful.

As for the frequencies used in the nine-letter games, Joseph, I think there've been a few variations over the years. Were you thinking of one from a particular era?

[Ian Volante]

You may also find this useful.

As for the frequencies used in the nine-letter games, Joseph, I think there've been a few variations over the years. Were you thinking of one from a particular era?

Ah, that's the page I was thinking of!

[Simon Myers]

as supplied by Art Director Demi Sampson during the Championship of Champions recordings in December 2008

He actually got them from Demi on the first day of Kirk's filming in January.

[Mike Brown]

as supplied by Art Director Demi Sampson during the Championship of Champions recordings in December 2008

He actually got them from Demi on the first day of Kirk's filming in January.

Thanks, Simon, I'll correct that small anomaly. I daresay it makes no difference to the data, though!

[Joseph Bolas]

As for the frequencies used in the nine-letter games, Joseph, I think there've been a few variations over the years. Were you thinking of one from a particular era?

Thank you for the email you sent with the history of the letter frequencies Mike. Going by Spreading The Word, which was first published in 2001, it includes the following frequency:

A: 15, B: 2, C: 3, D: 5, E: 20, F: 2, G: 4, H: 2, I: 14, J: 1, K: 1, L: 5, M: 3, N: 6, O: 11, P: 3, Q: 1, R: 6, S: 7, T: 7, U: 5, V: 2, W: 2, X: 1, Y: 2, Z: 1

So this must've been the frequency (roughly) before the 15-round format.

[D Eadie]

I wouldn't hang too much on whatever was written in Spreading The Word, we made most of it up, if not all of it, purely for the money you understand.

[Joseph Bolas]

I wouldn't hang too much on whatever was written in Spreading The Word, we made most of it up, if not all of it, purely for the money you understand.

There was also a Countdown Dictionary published in 2001, which too included a letter frequency, which matched the frequency in Spreading The Word, except for the B.

A: 15, B: 3, C: 3, D: 5, E: 20, F: 2, G: 4, H: 2, I: 14, J: 1, K: 1, L: 5, M: 3, N: 6, O: 11, P: 3, Q: 1, R: 6, S: 7, T: 7, U: 5, V: 2, W: 2, X: 1, Y: 2, Z: 1

[Gavin Chipper]

I think there was a series with no J.

[Mike Brown]

I think there was a series with no J.

It went missing for several weeks of Series 47. This keeps coming up from time to time; perhaps it needs a reference on the Wiki (if it hasn't one already).

[Joseph Bolas]

Going by the notes you gave me Mike, would this table be correct then?

I know there was a 1987 game with 100 letters, but not sure of the frequencies.