# Aphabetic letter pairs in words **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [November 17, 2016, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aphabetic-letter-pairs-in-words/772271 "2016-11-17T17:32:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 80
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aphabetic-letter-pairs-in-words/772271/1581 "2017-01-30T15:55:11Z")
(PoppaSan, thanks for joining us. The original challenge is to try to find a formal dictionary word, as opposed to a proper name, a slang spelling, a nickname, an acronym, a whimsical compound, etc. Those are to be resorted to only if no proper word can be found. ) ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aphabetic-letter-pairs-in-words/772271/1582 "2017-01-30T16:23:52Z")
H\*W chew rules have been refined a bit since the first few posts then I see. Personally I’ll take whimsical usage of dictionary words more often than not. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aphabetic-letter-pairs-in-words/772271/1583 "2017-01-30T19:12:21Z")
Yeah, I’d think “chitlins” would just be fine in this game. H\*X - hexagon ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aphabetic-letter-pairs-in-words/772271/1584 "2017-01-30T19:32:27Z")
H\*Y = whey ---
**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:** [January 30, 2017, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aphabetic-letter-pairs-in-words/772271/1585 "2017-01-30T21:11:22Z")
H\*Z - hazy ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aphabetic-letter-pairs-in-words/772271/1586 "2017-01-30T21:48:24Z")
H\*Z = hazard ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aphabetic-letter-pairs-in-words/772271/1587 "2017-01-30T21:50:39Z")
The original guidelines were discussed early on, and basically set out in post #15: > [@jtur88](#): > > Only if no other suitable word seems to exist. General priority would be > > Common words in dictionary > Feasible compound words > Frivolous compound words > Proper nouns as names or places with a Wiki entry > Some other imaginative way of wiggling off the hook when we get to QX ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aphabetic-letter-pairs-in-words/772271/1588 "2017-01-30T22:12:24Z")
I\*A = picayune ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aphabetic-letter-pairs-in-words/772271/1589 "2017-01-31T01:08:29Z")
FWIW, I just checked my _American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language_, Third Ed. (Houghton Mifflin 1992), and “chitlins” has its own separate entry. I\*B - imbibe ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aphabetic-letter-pairs-in-words/772271/1590 "2017-01-31T02:35:07Z")
I\*C = insomniac ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aphabetic-letter-pairs-in-words/772271/1591 "2017-01-31T03:20:20Z")
I\*D - bromeliad ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aphabetic-letter-pairs-in-words/772271/1592 "2017-01-31T03:29:59Z")
I\*E = likewise ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aphabetic-letter-pairs-in-words/772271/1593 "2017-01-31T06:33:56Z")
I\*F - grief ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aphabetic-letter-pairs-in-words/772271/1594 "2017-01-31T08:13:11Z")
I\*G - single ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aphabetic-letter-pairs-in-words/772271/1595 "2017-01-31T12:21:24Z")
I\*H = wishbone ---
**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:** [January 31, 2017, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aphabetic-letter-pairs-in-words/772271/1596 "2017-01-31T14:10:10Z")
I\*I - living ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aphabetic-letter-pairs-in-words/772271/1597 "2017-01-31T14:52:13Z")
I\*J = injury ---
**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:** [January 31, 2017, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aphabetic-letter-pairs-in-words/772271/1598 "2017-01-31T14:54:07Z")
I\*K - stinky ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aphabetic-letter-pairs-in-words/772271/1599 "2017-01-31T16:54:48Z")
I\*L = illegible ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aphabetic-letter-pairs-in-words/772271/1600 "2017-01-31T18:58:20Z")
I\*M = biometric (rejected by spell-sheck). OK, diameter [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aphabetic-letter-pairs-in-words/772271.md?page=79) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aphabetic-letter-pairs-in-words/772271.md?page=81)