Here is the puzzle:
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Will describes how to make a two-by-two chemical symbol word square. On the first line, write the symbols for lithium and iron, that is, "Li" and "Fe". Below that, write a second line that consists of the chemical symbols for neon and argon, that is, "Ne" and "Ar". Read across, these symbols make the words "life" and "near". Read down, they make "line" and "fear". The puzzle is to make a three-by-three chemical symbol word square. The symbols can be one or two letters, but the goal is to use as many two letter symbols as possible.
On 2005-11-20, Will added new rules. Answers may not repeat words or chemical symbols. Only uncapitalized words are allowed. The source for acceptable words is Merriam-Webster's 11th Collegiate Dictionary. |
Before Will changed the rules, I had 688 answers using only two-letter symbols. However, all 688 repeated at least one chemical symbol. I would have caught more, but I inadvertently typed "Se" when I meant to type "Sc", so I missed all the word squares with Sc.
With the new restrictions Will added on 2005-11-20, I thought that no answer could use nine two-letter chemical symbols (otherwise, they would have been among the 688 solutions I found in the previous week). So, the next best case is a square using eight 2-letter symbols. My search for answers used the Official Scrabble Dictionary (because its word list is available in ASCII text files). A Visual Basic program then found 342 answers from this list. Unfortunately, not all the words in the Official Scrabble Dictionary are in Merriam-Webster's Dictionary. I also eliminated words like "realer" and "fearer" because the preface indicates that these inflected forms should be shown in bold, and there were not. A check of the words in the pending solutions revealed 82 squares that use only words in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary (I used the Ninth New Collegiate Edition). Each uses eight 2-letter symbols (and only one one-letter symbol). These squares are below. If you want the list of 342 solutions using the Official Scrabble Dictionary, or the list of words that I excluded on grounds that they are not in Merriam-Webster's, send me an email using the link at the bottom of the page. Also look for the link you can use to subscribe to my free weekly synopses of the NPR puzzle segment.
na v al
te as er
na v al
te as es
la v as
re al er
la v as
re al es
pa se os
ca s es
pa nd as
ca s es
bi se s
no os es
bi nd s
te as es
in ti ne
es se s
be ti se
er ne s
re mo te
ge nd er
al mo nd
s te er
s he nd
te ar er
re he ar
ge nd er
ti ta n
se in es
ra ce s
te rn es
lu ce rn
ga s es
at ta in
er n es
re ti na
am er ce
ar ti er
te na ce
se co nd
in n er
re ga in
s te er
ra ti ne
fe ce s
no ti ce
la ne s
se co nd
in n er
si la ne
no te s
li ga te
co in er
ba co n
la nd er
ra co n
fe nd er
re la te
er ne s
ho ar se
s er al
ho ar se
s er es
he ar er
re se al
he ar er
re se es
re pa nd
s te er
pu pa te
la nd er
ra ti te
re se al
be ti se
s te al
es ta te
co in er
at ta in
s te er
re pa ir
s ca ds
re ga in
s li er
re ni n
in ca se
at ti re
h er es
at ti re
s er es
ar ti er
th re es
ar ti er
th re es
ar ni ca
se n se
al pa ca
th ir ds
ar ga li
se in er
ga rn er
te al s
na s al
te as er
ca rn al
se er s
ti ne as
s al es
ca s as
se al er
li ne al
er as es
te ni as
s er es
ti ni er
ce as es
in ti ne
ce re s
at ti re
er ne s
xe ni as
s er es
ti ni er
te as es
co n ga
in na te
po rn os
se al er
ca n na
ne ga te
se ni ti
w al er
si la ne
te nd er
ca rn al
p os er
s li ce
in te rn
xe ni as
s er es
ge ni al
ar ti er
po li te
se ce rn
in la nd
s ne er
pu ni er
te as es
pa la te
ce re al
la bi al
te as es
co bi as
re al es
ag la re
os te al
er ra ta
s te in
cu ra te
re ta in
la ga n
ge nd er
li ga nd
ca n er
Will's official answer is:
la sc er
re al er
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I express thanks to Chris Renner for his help with the design of this web page, especially as he took time from dessert after Thanksgiving Dinner to help.
©2005 Richard Renner. Permission granted to NPR and Will Shortz to use these solutions. All Other Rights Reserved.
Updated 2005-11-27