NON-Logic Puzzle : Carroll's Couplets

[GuyOnTilt]

This is something my friend and I used to compete with during History lectures in High School to keep us from falling asleep. Whoever could finish before the end of the period with the least amount of moves would buy the other a soda.

I believe it was Lewis Carroll who invested this game, though I could be wrong. The rules are simple: You start with a word, any word, and have to transform it into a different word. You do this by changing one and only one letter in the word into any different letter you want, with the qualifier that the new word has to be dictionary acceptable. Rinse, wash, and repeat until you reach the desired new word. Also, instead of replacing a letter, you may switch two letters that are side-by-side, e.g. PETS / PEST.

Example: CAT to DOG

CAT / COT / DOT / DOG

Easy enough. Four letter words get kind of challenging; Five letter words get downright frustrating.

#1: TOWN to CITY

#2: PANTS to SHIRT

GoT

[aloiz]

#1. Best I could get was 6 steps, which doesn't seem like it's too impressive.
Town
Tows
Tots
Pots
Pits
Pity
City


haven't even attempted #2...

aloiz

[RocketManJames]

TOWN -> CITY

<font color="white">
TOWN
TOWS
COWS
CONS
CONY
PONY
PINY
PITY
CITY
</font>

PANTS -&gt; SHIRT

<font color="white">
PANTS
RANTS
RENTS
TENTS
TEATS
SEATS
SPATS
SPITS
SHITS
SHIST (a scrabble word)
SHIRT
</font>

-RMJ

[GuyOnTilt]

TOWN -&gt; CITY

Crap. I didn't realize I picked such an easy 4-letter word. Having the active vowel in the same slot in both words makes it cake.
PANTS -&gt; SHIRT

Sweet. I remember beating my friend at this one, but I'm pretty sure it took me more moves than it did you. Good job. A harder 5-letter one is WHITE to BLACK.

GoT

[brassnuts]

SHITS -&gt; SHIST = no good

[brassnuts]

Here is the best I could come up with:

PANTS<font color="white">
PASTS
POSTS
POUTS
POURS
SOURS
SOARS
STARS
STARE
SHARE
SHIRE
</font>SHIRT

[RocketManJames]

Also, instead of replacing a letter, you may switch two letters that are side-by-side, e.g. PETS / PEST.

SHITS -&gt; SHIST is a legal move. If you are questioning the validity of the word SHIST, I will reference OSPD3 (the Official Scrabble Player's Dictionary version 3).

-RMJ

[brassnuts]

I came up with this in like two minutes... but the word BROCK isn't really used in America.

WHITE<font color="white">
WRITE
TRITE
TRICE
TRICK
BRICK
BROCK
BLOCK</font>
BLACK

Here is another way, a little longer.

WHITE<font color="white">
WHINE
SHINE
SHONE
STONE
STOLE
STALE
STATE
SLATE
PLATE
PLANE
PLANK
BLANK</font>
BLACK

[brassnuts]

Ooops, sorry, I guess I skipped the part about switching letters that are side by side. As for using a Scrabble word, that seems questionable. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif I'll leave that up to GoT's discretion.

[RocketManJames]

Brassnuts got WHITE-&gt;BLACK in 8 transitions... very good. I could only come up with a 9 transition solution:

WHITE
<font color="white">WHINE
SHINE
SHONE
SHORE
SHARE
SHARK
SHACK
SLACK</font>
BLACK

-RMJ

[elwoodblues]

First one:
Town
<font color="white">
Torn
Tore
Tote
Rote
Rite
Cite
</font>
City

[GuyOnTilt]

As for using a Scrabble word, that seems questionable. I'll leave that up to GoT's discretion.

I don't think the Scrabble word should be allowed. Firstly, I don't like Scrabble dictionaries. I think they're poorly made and thought out, main reason being they only have words up through 7 letters, which is stupid because they're supposed to be able to be used as the official dictionary for Scrabble games, which very often have words over 7 letters played. Just stupid thinking on their part. Therefore, I don't use the Scrabble dictionary when playing Scrabble. And since the Scrabble dictionary's only real practical application was supposed to be for Scrabble, which it fails at fulfilling, there's no need EVER for a Scrabble dictionary. Therefore, it shouldn't exist in its current form. Therefore, it's not a valid dictionary in my mind and doesn't meet the requirement for Corroll's Couplets, since your word doesn't appear in my Funk and Wagnells or my Random House. It doesn't even come up as valid on dictionary.com, which probably has the most liberal amount of "real" words out of any dictionary.

No dice! /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

GoT

[RocketManJames]

[ QUOTE ]
I think they're poorly made and thought out, main reason being they only have words up through 7 letters, which is stupid because they're supposed to be able to be used as the official dictionary for Scrabble games, which very often have words over 7 letters played.

[/ QUOTE ]

Just so you know, OSPD has words up to 9 letters. But, tournament scrabble is played using TWL (Tournament Word List) which includes words up to 15 letters long. I even did a check on the word "phenolphthalein," and I found it to be a valid and legal word.

Oh well, I guess we don't have Scrabble fans here... where are Duke and Muzungu to help back me up?

-RMJ

[GuyOnTilt]

Just so you know, OSPD has words up to 9 letters. But, tournament scrabble is played using TWL (Tournament Word List) which includes words up to 15 letters long. I even did a check on the word "phenolphthalein," and I found it to be a valid and legal word.

Huh. I must have some sort of condensed version of the OSPD. I just picked it up about a month or two ago and the first time we used it, I was really disappointed that it sucked so badly. Anyways, I'll have to search out and find the 9-letter version.

Oh well, I guess we don't have Scrabble fans here... where are Duke and Muzungu to help back me up?

Dude, I think Scrabble's an awesome game. I'll take you out. En Guard! /images/graemlins/wink.gif

GoT

[RocketManJames]

[ QUOTE ]
Huh. I must have some sort of condensed version of the OSPD. I just picked it up about a month or two ago and the first time we used it, I was really disappointed that it sucked so badly. Anyways, I'll have to search out and find the 9-letter version.

Dude, I think Scrabble's an awesome game. I'll take you out. En Guard! /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

My bad on the OSPD3... it's 2- through 8- letters not 9. Do you play on ISC? If so, PM me, and let's play a round or two. I'm not as strong a player as Duke and Muz though. So, if I'm not a challenge, you should try to get a game with one of them.

-RMJ

[GuyOnTilt]

My bad on the OSPD3... it's 2- through 8- letters not 9.

My bad too. My version is 8 letters. I still think that's totally bogus though, since words are played pretty regularly with &gt;8 letters.

Do you play on ISC? If so, PM me, and let's play a round or two. I'm not as strong a player as Duke and Muz though. So, if I'm not a challenge, you should try to get a game with one of them.

Since I have no clue what ISC is, I guess I don't. /images/graemlins/smile.gif PM me with a link to their homepage and I'll see about opening an account so we can play sometime.

GoT

[brassnuts]

These are kinda fun, when I'm bored I sometimes challenge myself with something random. Like today, while watching the Giants get owned in the 8th by Cincinnati, I thought of transforming GIANT -&gt; SMALL. It's quite challenging. I finally got it in 11 steps.

[RocketManJames]

Have one solid solution (13 transitions), and one possibly questionable one (10 transitions).

13-transition:
<font color="white">
GIANT
GRANT
GRAND
GLAND
BLAND
BLIND
BLINK
SLINK
STINK
STINT
STILT
STILL
STALL
SMALL
</font>

10-transition:
<font color="white">
GIANT
GRANT
GRAND
GLAND
BLAND
BLANK
SLANK (potentially questionable: past tense of slink)
STANK
STALK
STALL
SMALL
</font>

I agree, these are fun.

-RMJ

[Duke]

For longer words the official source is the M-W 10th Collegiate, though I'm convinced they'll change that to the 11th at some point. This is not to say that the M-W book is a good source for words shorter than 9 letters. It's not comprehensive, and I believe includes some words that are unplayable.

The British dictionary is Chambers.

The OSPD is a garbage word source, even for home games. Hasbro just wanted to clean up the language for image purposes. I wonder if Mattel would have done likewise if they secured the rights to N. American Scrabble.

~D

[brassnuts]

Nicely done. Though, I agree is 'slank' is questionable. I'm definitely not wordematician, but according the M-W, past tense for slink is slunk or slinked. Regardless, good job. Here's the route I took.
<font color="white"> GIANT
GRANT
GRUNT
GAUNT
TAUNT
TAINT
SAINT
STINT
STILT
STILL
STALL
SMALL </font>

[RocketManJames]

This one is pretty easy... I have one that works in 8 transitions. I am pretty sure it can be done faster than that.

BEER --&gt; WINE

-RMJ

[beerbandit]

beer -----&gt; wine

bear
bean
been
bien
bine
wine

beer

[RocketManJames]

I believe "bien" is a foreign word. M-W, Dictionary.com, and OSPD3 don't allow it.

-RMJ

[brassnuts]

BEER
WEER
WERE
WIRE
WINE

[RocketManJames]

Hah. Wow, that's a winner. I don't think there's anything faster than that.

-RMJ

[brassnuts]

/images/graemlins/wink.gif Still havent found a way to turn WATER -&gt; WINE, though.