# Jeopardy etaoin shrdlu **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 11, 2001, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-etaoin-shrdlu/86774 "2001-10-11T12:50:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![don\_willard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@don\_willard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_willard)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-etaoin-shrdlu/86774/1 "2001-10-11T12:50:31Z")
Why don’t the contestants on Jeopardy go down the line of the consonants in etaoin shrdlu, buying vowels as necessary. Or do they? Sometimes I have to watch a few minutes of it because of dropping in to a bar or home where the inmates are actually watching it. Also, what comes after etaoin shrdlu in frequency of appearance? (And I am now wondering what the sequence is in French for example, a more interesting question). ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-etaoin-shrdlu/86774/2 "2001-10-11T12:56:07Z")
Um, dude. That’s _Wheel of Fortune_. ---
**Author:** ![Popup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@Popup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Popup)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-etaoin-shrdlu/86774/3 "2001-10-11T12:59:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by don willard \* > \*\*(And I am now wondering what the sequence is in French for example, a more interesting question). \*\* Interesting indeed! According to [this site](http://home.earthlink.net/~jeauxy/tdbabrvw.htm) it is **ESARIN TULOMD** (But it gives no references.) ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-etaoin-shrdlu/86774/4 "2001-10-11T13:17:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by don willard \* > Also, what comes after etaoin shrdlu in frequency of appearance? [Cecil’s answer](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_262a.html) ---
**Author:** ![Popup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@Popup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Popup)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-etaoin-shrdlu/86774/5 "2001-10-11T13:37:08Z")
I’ve already found a (slightly) more reliable source. (Or so I’d like to think. Have a look [here](http://www.bckelk.uklinux.net/words/etaoin.html)) > [@](#): > > [ul] > [li]English:etaoinsrhldcumfpgwybvkxjqz[/li][li]French: esaitnrulodmcpv e’ qfgbhj a` x e` y e^ z c, o^ u` a^ u^ i^ oe k w i" e" u" ae n~[/li][li]Norwegian:erntsilakodgmvfupbh o/ j y aa ae c w z x (q)[/li][li]Swedish: eantrsildomkgv a" fhup aa o" bcyjxwz e' q[/li][li]German: enirsahtduclgmobwfkzv u" p a" ss j o" y q x[/li][li]Latin: eituasrnomcpldqbgvfhxyk (z) (jw)[/li][li]Italian: aeiolnrtscdupmvgfbzhq o` a` u` i` e' e` o’ y k w x j o^[/li][li]Esperanto: aieonslrtkjudmpvgfb s^ g^ c u~ c^ z h j^ (qwxy)[/li][li]Dutch: enatriodslghvkmwubpjczfyx e" e’ o’ (q)[/li][li]Spanish: aeosrnlidutcpmvgbfyhq o’ j i’ a’ z n~ e’ x u’ k w[/li][/ul] The page also gives the number of words in the respective corpus (corpi?) used for the countings. In some cases as few as 1700 (Spanish) I appologise for the two-letter symbols for accents etc, but I’m **not** re-coding this. Note that this page doesnt agree with the otherwise accepted **ETAOIN SHRDLU** , in the second part. It would also be rude not to include links to Cecil’s previous columns: [What’s the origin of the mysterious phrase “etaoin shrdlu”?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/010323.html) and [ETAOIN SHRDLU revisited](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_262a.html) (which claims etaonishrdlu) **KneadToKnow** , have a look at the second link I provided, for a list of “all 94 distinct printing characters” ---
**Author:** ![GSV\_Consolation\_of\_Dreams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f1d935/32.png) [@GSV\_Consolation\_of\_Dreams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GSV_Consolation_of_Dreams)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-etaoin-shrdlu/86774/6 "2001-10-11T13:39:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*According to [this site](http://home.earthlink.net/~jeauxy/tdbabrvw.htm) it is ESARIN TULOMD > (But it gives no references.) \* ESARIN is the distribution order for **French** according to that site. > [@](#): > > With that eye he “speaks” to visitors by having them go through the frequency order of the french alphabet ESARIN TULOMD [ETAOIN SHRDLU is the frequency order of the English alphabet] ---
**Author:** ![Popup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@Popup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Popup)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-etaoin-shrdlu/86774/7 "2001-10-11T13:54:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by atarian \* > ESARIN is the distribution order for **French** according to that site. You got a problem with that? Read the question again. For your reading pleasure I will reproduce the relevant part here: > [@](#): > > And I am now wondering what the sequence is in French for example, a more interesting question Although the answer I gave later proved to be wrong, I believe I tried to answer the right question… ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-etaoin-shrdlu/86774/8 "2001-10-11T15:05:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by don willard \* > \*\*Why don’t the contestants on [Wheel of Fortune] go down the line of the consonants in etaoin shrdlu, buying vowels as necessary. Or do they? Sometimes I have to watch a few minutes of it because of dropping in to a bar or home where the inmates are actually watching it. Also, what comes after etaoin > shrdlu in frequency of appearance? (And I am now wondering what the sequence is in French for example, a more interesting question). \*\* Because the letter frequency “etaoin shrdlu” applies to the language as a whole, not single sentences or phrases. Plus, I’m sure the writers try to steer away from phrases that are too predictable by a letter frequency. For the final game, LSTRN & E are given first, and quite often not much is revealed in the puzzle.