# Puzzler Will Shortz' favorite word **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 3, 2016, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzler-will-shortz-favorite-word/758996 "2016-07-03T13:00:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzler-will-shortz-favorite-word/758996/41 "2016-07-04T13:50:15Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Or “queueing” for its five vowels in a row. I’ll see your “queueing” and raise you “syzygy” (the only word in the English language composed entirely of consonants). 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzler-will-shortz-favorite-word/758996/42 "2016-07-04T14:08:39Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I’ll see your “queueing” and raise you “syzygy” (the only word in the English language composed entirely of consonants). 🆒 I know that trivia, but don’t like it, as “y” is a vowel there. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzler-will-shortz-favorite-word/758996/43 "2016-07-04T14:39:49Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Is #8 the third from the end? No, it’s the second from the end. > [@WordMan](#): > > Oh, come on **Exapno** , don’t leave us hanging! He posted after midnight my time! Can’t I get my beauty sleep? That takes 20 hours a day at my age. > [@](#): > > I \*think \*you guys are saying the same thing but appreciate the approach you both are taking. I think we’re saying the same thing too. Which is why I don’t understand the coyness. > [@](#): > > Hilarious that the OP is about Shortz’s’s’s’s favorite word, but has become a gathering place for general crossword- and grammar-geekiness. > > There’s gotta be a word for that. 😉 Inevitable. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzler-will-shortz-favorite-word/758996/44 "2016-07-04T14:52:53Z")
“Inevitable” - so true here! In terms of antepenultimate and referring to the second from the end vs. third, it all comes down to how you count for the end. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzler-will-shortz-favorite-word/758996/45 "2016-07-04T14:58:11Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > “syzygy” (the only word in the English language composed entirely of consonants). 🆒 > [@pulykamell](#): > > I know that trivia, but don’t like it, as “y” is a vowel there. And if it did count, why wouldn’t “rhythm” also count? Hmmmm… ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzler-will-shortz-favorite-word/758996/46 "2016-07-04T14:58:49Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I know that trivia, but don’t like it, as “y” is a vowel there. Just barely. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzler-will-shortz-favorite-word/758996/47 "2016-07-04T15:00:22Z")
My favorite word for a long time has been “Boffin.” I love saying it. Boffin, Boffin, Boffin. Lately I have been enjoying “tiffin” as well. Someday, I hope to take tiffin with a Boffin. ---
**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:** [July 4, 2016, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzler-will-shortz-favorite-word/758996/48 "2016-07-04T15:02:07Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > . . . “syzygy” (the only word in the English language composed entirely of consonants). 🆒 Except that half of the letters are vowels. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzler-will-shortz-favorite-word/758996/49 "2016-07-04T15:10:05Z")
Well, let’s not take pedantry to the nth degree. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzler-will-shortz-favorite-word/758996/50 "2016-07-04T15:18:49Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > And if it did count, why wouldn’t “rhythm” also count? > > Hmmmm… Or myth? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzler-will-shortz-favorite-word/758996/51 "2016-07-04T15:46:07Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Except that half of the letters are vowels. Try saying the word… ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzler-will-shortz-favorite-word/758996/52 "2016-07-04T15:51:26Z")
“SzG-EEE.” ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzler-will-shortz-favorite-word/758996/53 "2016-07-04T16:03:11Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I’ll see your “queueing” and raise you “syzygy” (the only word in the English language composed entirely of consonants). 🆒 crwth, cwm, nth, shh , psst, brr, brrrr, pht, phpht(and others) are all legal voweless plays in Scrabble, along with dozens of words that use the letter Y with no vowels. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzler-will-shortz-favorite-word/758996/54 "2016-07-04T16:11:47Z")
Cooeeing another with 5 vowels in a row. How bout goddessship , three of the same letter consecutive. ---
**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:** [July 4, 2016, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzler-will-shortz-favorite-word/758996/55 "2016-07-04T16:16:14Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Try saying the word… I’m saying the word. Three vowels. If it were spelled sizigee, it would be pronounced exactly the same. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzler-will-shortz-favorite-word/758996/56 "2016-07-04T16:43:47Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > “SzG-EEE.” This is a word you normally never hear pronounced, so I had to check. [Dictionary.com](http://www.dictionary.com/browse/syzygy) lists three styles of rendering the word. siz-i-jee sɪzɪdʒɪ sĭz’ə-jē All three would be pronounced in the same way, all with three syllables, all with three vowels. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzler-will-shortz-favorite-word/758996/57 "2016-07-04T16:57:36Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > This is a word you normally never hear pronounced, so I had to check. > > [Dictionary.com](http://www.dictionary.com/browse/syzygy) lists three styles of rendering the word. > > siz-i-jee > > sɪzɪdʒɪ > > sĭz’ə-jē > > All three would be pronounced in the same way, all with three syllables, all with three vowels. I was trying to give **terentii** the benefit of the doubt: that, even with the first and second ‘y’ muttered to the point where you could kinda sorta get away with compressing it into nonexistence, that last ‘y’ still sings as a vowel. If you want to argue it’s even worse than that, I’m certainly not going to stop you. But even on the most forgiving reading, I still figure it vowels out. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzler-will-shortz-favorite-word/758996/58 "2016-07-04T17:25:40Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > I was trying to give **terentii** the benefit of the doubt: that, even with the first and second ‘y’ muttered to the point where you could kinda sorta get away with compressing it into nonexistence, that last ‘y’ still sings as a vowel. > > If you want to argue it’s even worse than that, I’m certainly not going to stop you. But even on the most forgiving reading, I still figure it vowels out. Ah, the clue of terseness. An actual thing out of a John Dickson Carr mystery. I didn’t figure that out either. I’m always mystified when people try to argue that y isn’t a vowel. Y is almost always a vowel. The y in yellow isn’t far off from the y in gym, although the first is classified as a consonant. But that takes us into the realm of the semi-vowel, which is where I hop off the train. Mostly, though, it’s necessary to realize that vowels and consonants (and semi-vowels) represent sounds. We procrusteanly squeeze that into making letters vowels and consonants as a ease to teachers in grade schools. Like trying to apply the rules of arithmetic to higher math, this fails quickly and serves to confuse people in the real and much more complicated world. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzler-will-shortz-favorite-word/758996/59 "2016-07-04T18:02:54Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Ah, the clue of terseness. An actual thing out of a John Dickson Carr mystery. I didn’t figure that out either. > > I’m always mystified when people try to argue that y isn’t a vowel. Y is almost always a vowel. **The y in yellow isn’t far off from the y in gym,** although the first is classified as a consonant. But that takes us into the realm of the semi-vowel, which is where I hop off the train. > > Mostly, though, it’s necessary to realize that vowels and consonants (and semi-vowels) represent sounds. We procrusteanly squeeze that into making letters vowels and consonants as a ease to teachers in grade schools. Like trying to apply the rules of arithmetic to higher math, this fails quickly and serves to confuse people in the real and much more complicated world. Indeed. In fact, if you teach a speech synthesizer to vocalize the y in yellow and the y in gym, you won’t find any difference at all. Same thing will happen if you teach it to vocalize the ws in wear and cwm. I will begrudgingly concede that w is a consonant in “Hawai’i” and “Werner von Braun.” ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzler-will-shortz-favorite-word/758996/60 "2016-07-04T18:09:11Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Indeed. In fact, if you teach a speech synthesizer to vocalize the y in yellow and the y in gym, you won’t find any difference at all. > > Same thing will happen if you teach it to vocalize the ws in wear and cwm. > > I will begrudgingly concede that w is a consonant in “Hawai’i” and “Werner von Braun.” The W’s in wear and cwm are very different. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzler-will-shortz-favorite-word/758996.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/puzzler-will-shortz-favorite-word/758996.md?page=4)