Longest word in alphabetical order?

Factual Questions
1

A simple question: what’s the longest common (or uncommon) word in the English language where the letters are in alphabetical order? The longest one I can think of offhand is “abbess” with six letters, but I’m sure there’s longer.

2

I used to hear Big Bird, of Sesame Street, sing about one that he pronounced this way: “Ab-ka-def-hig-jekyll-ma-nop-per-cue-verks-is”. I’m not sure of the spelling, but IIRC it was indeed alphabetical.

Sorry I can’t be of more help.

3

AEGILOPS – See here about 6 paragraphs down.

4

billowy

5

Seriously? The word that Big Bird was saying was the alphabet.

6

Hmm…I don’t think “woosh” would count as one, would it?

7

[nitpick]
“Ab-ka-def-ghee-jekyll-ma-nop-curse-stew-voo-ksiz”.
[/nitpick]

:smiley:

8

No, it was more like

“Ab-ka-def-ghi-jekyll-ma-nop-kwer-stoov-wix-iz”

9

Are you people dense?

Big Bird sang:

“Ab-cd-ef-ghi-jk-lmno-pqrs-tuv-wxyz.” Hello? “Alphabet Song” ring a bell?

10

Chefguy, see Captain Amazing’s post above.

I think Scarlett67 got it.

11

I see “aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” in comic books a lot.

12

How about alloquy, beefily, begorry, billowy, and egilops with seven?

13

So what’s the longest word backwards?

14

6 abbess
6 abcees
6 abhors
6 accent
6 accept
6 access
6 accloy
6 accost
6 achoos
6 acknow
6 addeem
6 adders
6 addios
6 adeems
6 adoors
6 afflux
6 agloos
6 almost
6 begilt
6 begins
6 begirt
6 beknot
6 bellow
6 bijoux
6 billow
6 biopsy
6 bloops
6 blotty
6 cellos
6 chikor
6 chills
6 chilly
6 chimps
6 chinos
6 chintz
6 chippy
6 chirrs
6 chitty
6 chivvy
6 choosy
6 choppy
6 cloops
6 clotty
6 deffly
6 dehort
6 dekkos
6 dikkop
6 efflux
6 effort
6 ellops
6 fillos
6 floors
6 floosy
6 floppy
6 flossy
6 ghosty
6 gimmor
6 gloops
6 gloopy
6 gloppy
6 glossy
6 hillos
6 knotty
7 addeems
7 beefily
7 billowy
7 chikors
7 dikkops
7 gimmors

15

7 pigfeed
7 skiffed
7 sniffed
7 snigged
7 soogeed
7 spiffed
7 sponged
7 spoofed
7 spooked
7 spooled
7 spoomed
7 spooned
7 tommied
7 trigged
7 trogged
7 trolled
7 troolie
7 vroomed
7 woolled
7 wronged
8 spoonfed
8 trollied
9 spoonfeed

(I like backwards better, as there’s one word at the top, and it’s not obscure)

16

for those that care:


#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <ctype.h>
#include <string.h>

#define BUFFERSIZE      8192
#define MAXLEN          40
#define DICT_FILE       "/usr/share/dict/words"

main( int argc, char **argv ) {
        char    word [ MAXLEN ];
        int     len;
        FILE    *fptr;

        if( !( fptr = fopen( DICT_FILE, "rt" ) ) ) {
                 printf( "Cannot open Wordfile!
" );
                 exit( 1 );
         }

        if( setvbuf( fptr, NULL, _IOFBF, BUFFERSIZE * 2 ) )
                exit ( 1 );

        while( fgets( word, MAXLEN, fptr ) != NULL ) {
                if( ( len=isinorder( word )) > 0 ) {
                        printf( "%d %s", len, word );
                }
        }
}

int isinorder( char *word ) {
        char    last = 127;
        int     len = 0;

        for( ; *word != '
'; word++ ) {
                if( tolower( *word ) > last ) {
                        return 0;
                }
                last = tolower( *word );
                len++;
        }
        return len;
}