# a-e-i-o-u word groups **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 29, 2008, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-i-o-u-word-groups/443159 "2008-03-29T13:08:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-i-o-u-word-groups/443159/1 "2008-03-29T13:08:31Z")
I hesitate to say so, but this came to me in a dream last night, so I felt that was significant enough to go ahead and post this. There may be similar threads but I haven’t tried to locate them. Treat this as a game or a challenge or a way to kill some time, but see if you can top what’s been posted already, assuming something is. The basic idea is to come up with word groups that consist of standard spellings of relatively common (not archaic) words that differ only in the vowels employed. Include w and y vowels if they apply. A sample: last lest list lost lust Finding a group with double vowels (may be tough) would be great, or multi-syllable words, or some other standout feature. If a word gets close to being “common” and can at least be found in a “collegiate” (or better) dictionary, go ahead and use it. Participants in the thread may vote on which group is “the best” once we have some to consider. Have fun. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-i-o-u-word-groups/443159/2 "2008-03-29T13:31:11Z")
bag, beg, big. bog, bug bat, bet, bit, [bot,](http://www.answers.com/bot&r=67) but ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-i-o-u-word-groups/443159/3 "2008-03-29T14:20:31Z")
mass, mess, miss, moss, muss ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-i-o-u-word-groups/443159/4 "2008-03-29T14:36:22Z")
I’ve been collecting these since I was a kid. I’m on my way out, though – back with a bunch later. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-i-o-u-word-groups/443159/5 "2008-03-29T15:13:40Z")
As an effort to move the thinking “outside the box” and to take a few liberties with the concept of “common” by adding a proper name to the list, how about: pale, Pele, pile, pole, _pule_, and Pyle (just to get at least one group with a y word, proper name though it is.) ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-i-o-u-word-groups/443159/6 "2008-03-29T15:22:47Z")
You said non-archaic, but you said nothing about non-standard dialects, so… Hat, [het](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=het), hit, hot, hut. [Gat](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=gat&x=0&y=0), get, git, got, gut. Also, since you also said, nothing about non-English words, I cheat a bit: Than, then, thin, [thon](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=thon&x=0&y=0), [Thun](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=thun&x=0&y=0). ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-i-o-u-word-groups/443159/7 "2008-03-29T15:24:45Z")
Ah, and that last one gave me a :smack: moment… Tan, ten, tin, ton, [tun](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=tun). ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-i-o-u-word-groups/443159/8 "2008-03-29T15:33:41Z")
tall, tell, till, toll, Tull ---
**Author:** ![dotchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@dotchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dotchan)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-i-o-u-word-groups/443159/9 "2008-03-29T16:55:56Z")
Not quite, but close: male, melee, mile, mole, mule mare, mere, mire, more ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-i-o-u-word-groups/443159/10 "2008-03-29T17:15:45Z")
band, bend, bind, bond, [bund](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Bund) ---
**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-i-o-u-word-groups/443159/11 "2008-03-29T17:28:07Z")
Pat/pet/pit/pot/put. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-i-o-u-word-groups/443159/12 "2008-03-29T17:35:47Z")
Dane, [\*dene](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dene), dine, done, dune - violates most of the OP’s rules, but at least it’s in a dictionary as a British term ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-i-o-u-word-groups/443159/13 "2008-03-29T17:39:46Z")
[QUOTE=dotchan] Not quite, but close: male, melee, mile, mole, mule mare, mere, mire, more [/QUOTE] _mure_ is a word, but I think it’s too old-fashioned to count. ---
**Author:** ![tarragon918](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@tarragon918](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tarragon918)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-i-o-u-word-groups/443159/14 "2008-03-29T17:42:48Z")
math, meth, moth, myth (does that count?) harder than it looks! tack, Teck, tick, Tock, tuck ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-i-o-u-word-groups/443159/15 "2008-03-29T17:44:48Z")
How about a palindromic double whammy? pap, pep, pip, pop, pup tat, Tet, tit, tot, tut ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-i-o-u-word-groups/443159/16 "2008-03-29T18:02:02Z")
I’d be willing to bet that some of these have passed through more than a few minds in the process of trying to find groups that pass the OP test for spellings, so to get them off my mind, and perhaps yours, here are a few groups to sponsor a spinoff/hijack: say, see, sigh, sow, sue bay, bee, bye, bow, boo lay, lee, lie, low, lieu may, me, my, mow, moo/mu day, Dee, die, doe, due ray, Ree, rye, row, rue If you have had similarly distracting “almosts” interfering with your thinking, might as well list them and get them out there – at least for the laughs. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-i-o-u-word-groups/443159/17 "2008-03-29T18:18:50Z")
baa, bay, be, bee, bey, bi, boa, boo, buy, by, bye (if we are allowing double vowels) ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-i-o-u-word-groups/443159/18 "2008-03-29T18:21:38Z")
pan, pen, pin, 'pon, pun ('Pon my word!) [Baer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Baer_%28boxer%29), beer, bier, Boer, [Buer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buer) ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-i-o-u-word-groups/443159/19 "2008-03-29T18:25:23Z")
From the “they’re legit two-letter Scrabble words” file: ma, me, mi, mo, mu, my as, es, is, os, us ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-i-o-u-word-groups/443159/20 "2008-03-29T18:26:36Z")
Bad, bed, bid, bod, bud. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-i-o-u-word-groups/443159.md?page=2)