# Some Interesting Wordplay (Puzzle) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 2, 2001, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-interesting-wordplay-puzzle/74612 "2001-08-02T06:13:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-interesting-wordplay-puzzle/74612/1 "2001-08-02T06:13:02Z")
A while back my sister called me with this question: _Can you name the three sets of three words each that are pronounced the same but begin with different letters._ For example, write and right are two words with this property. After a while I realized there are in fact _five_ sets of three words each in the English language with this property. Can you name them? ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-interesting-wordplay-puzzle/74612/2 "2001-08-02T06:32:35Z")
1. air, err, heir 2. knew, new, gnu 3. eye, aye, I ---
**Author:** ![cykrider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f19dbf/32.png) [@cykrider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cykrider)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-interesting-wordplay-puzzle/74612/3 "2001-08-02T07:03:19Z")
Would their, there, and they’re count? ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-interesting-wordplay-puzzle/74612/4 "2001-08-02T07:16:58Z")
Sadly not. Though spelled differently and pronounced the same it is that pesky first initial letter that has to be different in all three words. AudreyK has, BTW, pegged very nicely the three sets that my sister had to offer as the solution. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-interesting-wordplay-puzzle/74612/5 "2001-08-02T07:24:10Z")
cat/khat/qat (but k. and q. are only variant spellings of the same word) cay/key/quay (but pronunciations of c. and q. vary) ewes/use/yews gnap/knap/nap (but gnap=bite isn’t a common word) ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-interesting-wordplay-puzzle/74612/6 "2001-08-02T07:54:25Z")
Outstanding, you bookworm, you! Bibliophage, I might have specified common English words only, but for me those are the only ones that provide the most fun. And as for those troglodytes who insist on saying _kway_ for _quay_ or _kay_ for _cay_ I fart in their general direction… Nice work. As a relative newbie (Relative? Complete!) I should know the difficult lasts but a few posts. The indecipherable can be up here for hours ;). ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2001, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-interesting-wordplay-puzzle/74612/7 "2001-08-02T12:17:49Z")
djinn/jinn/gin