A Riddle of Mine











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I came up with this riddle a few years ago, and so far very few people have been able to solve it:



Think of a four-letter word (“_ _ _ _”) such that adding an A to the beginning (“a _ _ _ _”) changes the meaning but not the pronunciation. (It's a normal word that I guarantee anyone with at least a middle-school education will have heard.)



If you answer, please use spoiler tags.










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  • 2




    Wow, this is a good first riddle. I'm gonna be racking my brains over this one.
    – F1Krazy
    2 days ago






  • 1




    After thinking for some time, I got the solution that is mentioned in the first answer puzzling.stackexchange.com/a/75380/44626 . I do not know whether a redundant answer is OK, so I just wrote this comment.
    – neverMind9
    yesterday















up vote
25
down vote

favorite
1












I came up with this riddle a few years ago, and so far very few people have been able to solve it:



Think of a four-letter word (“_ _ _ _”) such that adding an A to the beginning (“a _ _ _ _”) changes the meaning but not the pronunciation. (It's a normal word that I guarantee anyone with at least a middle-school education will have heard.)



If you answer, please use spoiler tags.










share|improve this question









New contributor




Dirge of Dreams is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
















  • 2




    Wow, this is a good first riddle. I'm gonna be racking my brains over this one.
    – F1Krazy
    2 days ago






  • 1




    After thinking for some time, I got the solution that is mentioned in the first answer puzzling.stackexchange.com/a/75380/44626 . I do not know whether a redundant answer is OK, so I just wrote this comment.
    – neverMind9
    yesterday













up vote
25
down vote

favorite
1









up vote
25
down vote

favorite
1






1





I came up with this riddle a few years ago, and so far very few people have been able to solve it:



Think of a four-letter word (“_ _ _ _”) such that adding an A to the beginning (“a _ _ _ _”) changes the meaning but not the pronunciation. (It's a normal word that I guarantee anyone with at least a middle-school education will have heard.)



If you answer, please use spoiler tags.










share|improve this question









New contributor




Dirge of Dreams is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











I came up with this riddle a few years ago, and so far very few people have been able to solve it:



Think of a four-letter word (“_ _ _ _”) such that adding an A to the beginning (“a _ _ _ _”) changes the meaning but not the pronunciation. (It's a normal word that I guarantee anyone with at least a middle-school education will have heard.)



If you answer, please use spoiler tags.







word wordplay english






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Dirge of Dreams is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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share|improve this question









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share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited yesterday









Bass

26k462164




26k462164






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asked 2 days ago









Dirge of Dreams

32014




32014




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New contributor





Dirge of Dreams is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






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Check out our Code of Conduct.








  • 2




    Wow, this is a good first riddle. I'm gonna be racking my brains over this one.
    – F1Krazy
    2 days ago






  • 1




    After thinking for some time, I got the solution that is mentioned in the first answer puzzling.stackexchange.com/a/75380/44626 . I do not know whether a redundant answer is OK, so I just wrote this comment.
    – neverMind9
    yesterday














  • 2




    Wow, this is a good first riddle. I'm gonna be racking my brains over this one.
    – F1Krazy
    2 days ago






  • 1




    After thinking for some time, I got the solution that is mentioned in the first answer puzzling.stackexchange.com/a/75380/44626 . I do not know whether a redundant answer is OK, so I just wrote this comment.
    – neverMind9
    yesterday








2




2




Wow, this is a good first riddle. I'm gonna be racking my brains over this one.
– F1Krazy
2 days ago




Wow, this is a good first riddle. I'm gonna be racking my brains over this one.
– F1Krazy
2 days ago




1




1




After thinking for some time, I got the solution that is mentioned in the first answer puzzling.stackexchange.com/a/75380/44626 . I do not know whether a redundant answer is OK, so I just wrote this comment.
– neverMind9
yesterday




After thinking for some time, I got the solution that is mentioned in the first answer puzzling.stackexchange.com/a/75380/44626 . I do not know whether a redundant answer is OK, so I just wrote this comment.
– neverMind9
yesterday










6 Answers
6






active

oldest

votes

















up vote
30
down vote













I'll go with




isle - an island - which is pronounced the same as aisle - a walkway.







share|improve this answer

















  • 1




    @Weckar Please don't put answers in the comments.
    – Orphevs
    yesterday






  • 3




    @Orphevs In what way could Weckar E's comment be an answer?
    – Rand al'Thor
    yesterday






  • 3




    @Rand al'Thor It contains the word(s) that Tom proposed as a solution. In the answer, these are hidden by a spoiler tag; in the comment, they're clearly visible and could spoil the fun for someone glancing over the site who still wants to solve the riddle for themselves.
    – Orphevs
    yesterday






  • 2




    @Orphevs difficult to comment otherwise, is it not? Can't spoilertag in comments, afaik.
    – Weckar E.
    yesterday






  • 2




    @WeckarE. You can use ROT13 to shift the letters of potential/partial answers in comments by 13 letters. rot13.com helps to encrypt or decrypt ROT13'd words/phrases.
    – JR_M
    yesterday


















up vote
9
down vote













Perhaps another couple of solutions are




Iran, which when you add an "a" becomes airan, which, according to Webster's Third New International unabridged, is pronounced the same as one possible pronunciation of Iran, but means a Turkish drink made from fermented milk




And




Erie (the city) and aerie which can also be pronounced the same, but means a nest.




However, these are




capitalized words, so perhaps they don't quite fit. And though middle school students probably know Erie and Iran, and maybe even aerie, it is doubtful they know airan.







share|improve this answer























  • I'd argue that a "middle-school student" knows of either
    – MaxB
    yesterday








  • 2




    Iran and ayran are pronounced differently (ihr-ahn vs aye-rahn). Also, it's ayran, not airan.
    – Rand al'Thor
    yesterday






  • 2




    @Randal'Thor: Please don't quote solutions in comments without obfuscating them.   :-)   ⁠
    – Peregrine Rook
    19 hours ago






  • 1




    @Randal'Thor It can be spelled with i, but I agree the pronunciation is different. For one, the milk product has stress on the first syllable, the country on the last.
    – jafe
    16 hours ago




















up vote
4
down vote













Probably not this, but worth writing down:




Aron and Aaron are names, referring to different people but pronounced the same.







share|improve this answer




























    up vote
    1
    down vote













    I'd go with Tom's answer, but would like to mention another possibility, which is




    Ide - a freshwater fish.




    Which of course yields




    Aide




    As the other word. Neither is one that would necessarily be known by everyone though.






    share|improve this answer



















    • 3




      Your word is only three letters instead of four.
      – ralphmerridew
      yesterday










    • @ralphmerridew dammit can't imagine how I made that mistake. You can of course use plural to make it four letters but that would be an even bigger stretch
      – Gnudiff
      20 hours ago










    • (1) I don't recall ever hearing of your three-letter word, and I'm a college graduate with a fairly large vocabulary. The question says "anyone with at least a middle-school education will have heard" of these words.  (2) Also, do you claim that your two words are pronounced the same, as required by the question? None of the resources I found indicated that.
      – Peregrine Rook
      19 hours ago


















    up vote
    1
    down vote













    I believe this wasn't covered yet:




    long (/lôNG,läNG/): distance/lasting.

    along (/əˈlôNG,əˈläNG/): together/accompany.




    and




    rose (/rōz/): flower.

    arose (/əˈrōz/): emerge.




    Updated:




    iris [aɪrɪs]: the round coloured part that surrounds the pupil of your eye.
    airis [āīɾis]: oar, paddle (an instrument for rowing a boat).







    share|improve this answer










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    • 2




      I believe the condition that the pronunciation doesn't change after prepending a applies to the whole words ("????" and "A????"), not just the last four letters.
      – humfuzz
      16 hours ago












    • I might've misinterpreted it then since it wasn't implicitly stated the "whole words" but "changes the meaning but not the pronunciation". So I assume it was only the original four letter.
      – Mukyuu
      16 hours ago


















    up vote
    0
    down vote













    What about




    rise

    arise




    ... must have 30 chars.






    share|improve this answer








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    • 3




      I don't think this works because of the condition: "adding an A to the beginning changes the meaning but not the pronunciation".
      – Laurel
      yesterday










    • Welcome to Puzzling.SE!
      – SteveV
      23 hours ago










    • Ah nevermind, I misread that part.
      – pxe
      23 hours ago











    Your Answer





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    6 Answers
    6






    active

    oldest

    votes








    6 Answers
    6






    active

    oldest

    votes









    active

    oldest

    votes






    active

    oldest

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    up vote
    30
    down vote













    I'll go with




    isle - an island - which is pronounced the same as aisle - a walkway.







    share|improve this answer

















    • 1




      @Weckar Please don't put answers in the comments.
      – Orphevs
      yesterday






    • 3




      @Orphevs In what way could Weckar E's comment be an answer?
      – Rand al'Thor
      yesterday






    • 3




      @Rand al'Thor It contains the word(s) that Tom proposed as a solution. In the answer, these are hidden by a spoiler tag; in the comment, they're clearly visible and could spoil the fun for someone glancing over the site who still wants to solve the riddle for themselves.
      – Orphevs
      yesterday






    • 2




      @Orphevs difficult to comment otherwise, is it not? Can't spoilertag in comments, afaik.
      – Weckar E.
      yesterday






    • 2




      @WeckarE. You can use ROT13 to shift the letters of potential/partial answers in comments by 13 letters. rot13.com helps to encrypt or decrypt ROT13'd words/phrases.
      – JR_M
      yesterday















    up vote
    30
    down vote













    I'll go with




    isle - an island - which is pronounced the same as aisle - a walkway.







    share|improve this answer

















    • 1




      @Weckar Please don't put answers in the comments.
      – Orphevs
      yesterday






    • 3




      @Orphevs In what way could Weckar E's comment be an answer?
      – Rand al'Thor
      yesterday






    • 3




      @Rand al'Thor It contains the word(s) that Tom proposed as a solution. In the answer, these are hidden by a spoiler tag; in the comment, they're clearly visible and could spoil the fun for someone glancing over the site who still wants to solve the riddle for themselves.
      – Orphevs
      yesterday






    • 2




      @Orphevs difficult to comment otherwise, is it not? Can't spoilertag in comments, afaik.
      – Weckar E.
      yesterday






    • 2




      @WeckarE. You can use ROT13 to shift the letters of potential/partial answers in comments by 13 letters. rot13.com helps to encrypt or decrypt ROT13'd words/phrases.
      – JR_M
      yesterday













    up vote
    30
    down vote










    up vote
    30
    down vote









    I'll go with




    isle - an island - which is pronounced the same as aisle - a walkway.







    share|improve this answer












    I'll go with




    isle - an island - which is pronounced the same as aisle - a walkway.








    share|improve this answer












    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer










    answered 2 days ago









    Tom

    27.4k296161




    27.4k296161








    • 1




      @Weckar Please don't put answers in the comments.
      – Orphevs
      yesterday






    • 3




      @Orphevs In what way could Weckar E's comment be an answer?
      – Rand al'Thor
      yesterday






    • 3




      @Rand al'Thor It contains the word(s) that Tom proposed as a solution. In the answer, these are hidden by a spoiler tag; in the comment, they're clearly visible and could spoil the fun for someone glancing over the site who still wants to solve the riddle for themselves.
      – Orphevs
      yesterday






    • 2




      @Orphevs difficult to comment otherwise, is it not? Can't spoilertag in comments, afaik.
      – Weckar E.
      yesterday






    • 2




      @WeckarE. You can use ROT13 to shift the letters of potential/partial answers in comments by 13 letters. rot13.com helps to encrypt or decrypt ROT13'd words/phrases.
      – JR_M
      yesterday














    • 1




      @Weckar Please don't put answers in the comments.
      – Orphevs
      yesterday






    • 3




      @Orphevs In what way could Weckar E's comment be an answer?
      – Rand al'Thor
      yesterday






    • 3




      @Rand al'Thor It contains the word(s) that Tom proposed as a solution. In the answer, these are hidden by a spoiler tag; in the comment, they're clearly visible and could spoil the fun for someone glancing over the site who still wants to solve the riddle for themselves.
      – Orphevs
      yesterday






    • 2




      @Orphevs difficult to comment otherwise, is it not? Can't spoilertag in comments, afaik.
      – Weckar E.
      yesterday






    • 2




      @WeckarE. You can use ROT13 to shift the letters of potential/partial answers in comments by 13 letters. rot13.com helps to encrypt or decrypt ROT13'd words/phrases.
      – JR_M
      yesterday








    1




    1




    @Weckar Please don't put answers in the comments.
    – Orphevs
    yesterday




    @Weckar Please don't put answers in the comments.
    – Orphevs
    yesterday




    3




    3




    @Orphevs In what way could Weckar E's comment be an answer?
    – Rand al'Thor
    yesterday




    @Orphevs In what way could Weckar E's comment be an answer?
    – Rand al'Thor
    yesterday




    3




    3




    @Rand al'Thor It contains the word(s) that Tom proposed as a solution. In the answer, these are hidden by a spoiler tag; in the comment, they're clearly visible and could spoil the fun for someone glancing over the site who still wants to solve the riddle for themselves.
    – Orphevs
    yesterday




    @Rand al'Thor It contains the word(s) that Tom proposed as a solution. In the answer, these are hidden by a spoiler tag; in the comment, they're clearly visible and could spoil the fun for someone glancing over the site who still wants to solve the riddle for themselves.
    – Orphevs
    yesterday




    2




    2




    @Orphevs difficult to comment otherwise, is it not? Can't spoilertag in comments, afaik.
    – Weckar E.
    yesterday




    @Orphevs difficult to comment otherwise, is it not? Can't spoilertag in comments, afaik.
    – Weckar E.
    yesterday




    2




    2




    @WeckarE. You can use ROT13 to shift the letters of potential/partial answers in comments by 13 letters. rot13.com helps to encrypt or decrypt ROT13'd words/phrases.
    – JR_M
    yesterday




    @WeckarE. You can use ROT13 to shift the letters of potential/partial answers in comments by 13 letters. rot13.com helps to encrypt or decrypt ROT13'd words/phrases.
    – JR_M
    yesterday










    up vote
    9
    down vote













    Perhaps another couple of solutions are




    Iran, which when you add an "a" becomes airan, which, according to Webster's Third New International unabridged, is pronounced the same as one possible pronunciation of Iran, but means a Turkish drink made from fermented milk




    And




    Erie (the city) and aerie which can also be pronounced the same, but means a nest.




    However, these are




    capitalized words, so perhaps they don't quite fit. And though middle school students probably know Erie and Iran, and maybe even aerie, it is doubtful they know airan.







    share|improve this answer























    • I'd argue that a "middle-school student" knows of either
      – MaxB
      yesterday








    • 2




      Iran and ayran are pronounced differently (ihr-ahn vs aye-rahn). Also, it's ayran, not airan.
      – Rand al'Thor
      yesterday






    • 2




      @Randal'Thor: Please don't quote solutions in comments without obfuscating them.   :-)   ⁠
      – Peregrine Rook
      19 hours ago






    • 1




      @Randal'Thor It can be spelled with i, but I agree the pronunciation is different. For one, the milk product has stress on the first syllable, the country on the last.
      – jafe
      16 hours ago

















    up vote
    9
    down vote













    Perhaps another couple of solutions are




    Iran, which when you add an "a" becomes airan, which, according to Webster's Third New International unabridged, is pronounced the same as one possible pronunciation of Iran, but means a Turkish drink made from fermented milk




    And




    Erie (the city) and aerie which can also be pronounced the same, but means a nest.




    However, these are




    capitalized words, so perhaps they don't quite fit. And though middle school students probably know Erie and Iran, and maybe even aerie, it is doubtful they know airan.







    share|improve this answer























    • I'd argue that a "middle-school student" knows of either
      – MaxB
      yesterday








    • 2




      Iran and ayran are pronounced differently (ihr-ahn vs aye-rahn). Also, it's ayran, not airan.
      – Rand al'Thor
      yesterday






    • 2




      @Randal'Thor: Please don't quote solutions in comments without obfuscating them.   :-)   ⁠
      – Peregrine Rook
      19 hours ago






    • 1




      @Randal'Thor It can be spelled with i, but I agree the pronunciation is different. For one, the milk product has stress on the first syllable, the country on the last.
      – jafe
      16 hours ago















    up vote
    9
    down vote










    up vote
    9
    down vote









    Perhaps another couple of solutions are




    Iran, which when you add an "a" becomes airan, which, according to Webster's Third New International unabridged, is pronounced the same as one possible pronunciation of Iran, but means a Turkish drink made from fermented milk




    And




    Erie (the city) and aerie which can also be pronounced the same, but means a nest.




    However, these are




    capitalized words, so perhaps they don't quite fit. And though middle school students probably know Erie and Iran, and maybe even aerie, it is doubtful they know airan.







    share|improve this answer














    Perhaps another couple of solutions are




    Iran, which when you add an "a" becomes airan, which, according to Webster's Third New International unabridged, is pronounced the same as one possible pronunciation of Iran, but means a Turkish drink made from fermented milk




    And




    Erie (the city) and aerie which can also be pronounced the same, but means a nest.




    However, these are




    capitalized words, so perhaps they don't quite fit. And though middle school students probably know Erie and Iran, and maybe even aerie, it is doubtful they know airan.








    share|improve this answer














    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer








    edited 17 hours ago

























    answered 2 days ago









    SteveV

    4,065423




    4,065423












    • I'd argue that a "middle-school student" knows of either
      – MaxB
      yesterday








    • 2




      Iran and ayran are pronounced differently (ihr-ahn vs aye-rahn). Also, it's ayran, not airan.
      – Rand al'Thor
      yesterday






    • 2




      @Randal'Thor: Please don't quote solutions in comments without obfuscating them.   :-)   ⁠
      – Peregrine Rook
      19 hours ago






    • 1




      @Randal'Thor It can be spelled with i, but I agree the pronunciation is different. For one, the milk product has stress on the first syllable, the country on the last.
      – jafe
      16 hours ago




















    • I'd argue that a "middle-school student" knows of either
      – MaxB
      yesterday








    • 2




      Iran and ayran are pronounced differently (ihr-ahn vs aye-rahn). Also, it's ayran, not airan.
      – Rand al'Thor
      yesterday






    • 2




      @Randal'Thor: Please don't quote solutions in comments without obfuscating them.   :-)   ⁠
      – Peregrine Rook
      19 hours ago






    • 1




      @Randal'Thor It can be spelled with i, but I agree the pronunciation is different. For one, the milk product has stress on the first syllable, the country on the last.
      – jafe
      16 hours ago


















    I'd argue that a "middle-school student" knows of either
    – MaxB
    yesterday






    I'd argue that a "middle-school student" knows of either
    – MaxB
    yesterday






    2




    2




    Iran and ayran are pronounced differently (ihr-ahn vs aye-rahn). Also, it's ayran, not airan.
    – Rand al'Thor
    yesterday




    Iran and ayran are pronounced differently (ihr-ahn vs aye-rahn). Also, it's ayran, not airan.
    – Rand al'Thor
    yesterday




    2




    2




    @Randal'Thor: Please don't quote solutions in comments without obfuscating them.   :-)   ⁠
    – Peregrine Rook
    19 hours ago




    @Randal'Thor: Please don't quote solutions in comments without obfuscating them.   :-)   ⁠
    – Peregrine Rook
    19 hours ago




    1




    1




    @Randal'Thor It can be spelled with i, but I agree the pronunciation is different. For one, the milk product has stress on the first syllable, the country on the last.
    – jafe
    16 hours ago






    @Randal'Thor It can be spelled with i, but I agree the pronunciation is different. For one, the milk product has stress on the first syllable, the country on the last.
    – jafe
    16 hours ago












    up vote
    4
    down vote













    Probably not this, but worth writing down:




    Aron and Aaron are names, referring to different people but pronounced the same.







    share|improve this answer

























      up vote
      4
      down vote













      Probably not this, but worth writing down:




      Aron and Aaron are names, referring to different people but pronounced the same.







      share|improve this answer























        up vote
        4
        down vote










        up vote
        4
        down vote









        Probably not this, but worth writing down:




        Aron and Aaron are names, referring to different people but pronounced the same.







        share|improve this answer












        Probably not this, but worth writing down:




        Aron and Aaron are names, referring to different people but pronounced the same.








        share|improve this answer












        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer










        answered yesterday









        eedrah

        650117




        650117






















            up vote
            1
            down vote













            I'd go with Tom's answer, but would like to mention another possibility, which is




            Ide - a freshwater fish.




            Which of course yields




            Aide




            As the other word. Neither is one that would necessarily be known by everyone though.






            share|improve this answer



















            • 3




              Your word is only three letters instead of four.
              – ralphmerridew
              yesterday










            • @ralphmerridew dammit can't imagine how I made that mistake. You can of course use plural to make it four letters but that would be an even bigger stretch
              – Gnudiff
              20 hours ago










            • (1) I don't recall ever hearing of your three-letter word, and I'm a college graduate with a fairly large vocabulary. The question says "anyone with at least a middle-school education will have heard" of these words.  (2) Also, do you claim that your two words are pronounced the same, as required by the question? None of the resources I found indicated that.
              – Peregrine Rook
              19 hours ago















            up vote
            1
            down vote













            I'd go with Tom's answer, but would like to mention another possibility, which is




            Ide - a freshwater fish.




            Which of course yields




            Aide




            As the other word. Neither is one that would necessarily be known by everyone though.






            share|improve this answer



















            • 3




              Your word is only three letters instead of four.
              – ralphmerridew
              yesterday










            • @ralphmerridew dammit can't imagine how I made that mistake. You can of course use plural to make it four letters but that would be an even bigger stretch
              – Gnudiff
              20 hours ago










            • (1) I don't recall ever hearing of your three-letter word, and I'm a college graduate with a fairly large vocabulary. The question says "anyone with at least a middle-school education will have heard" of these words.  (2) Also, do you claim that your two words are pronounced the same, as required by the question? None of the resources I found indicated that.
              – Peregrine Rook
              19 hours ago













            up vote
            1
            down vote










            up vote
            1
            down vote









            I'd go with Tom's answer, but would like to mention another possibility, which is




            Ide - a freshwater fish.




            Which of course yields




            Aide




            As the other word. Neither is one that would necessarily be known by everyone though.






            share|improve this answer














            I'd go with Tom's answer, but would like to mention another possibility, which is




            Ide - a freshwater fish.




            Which of course yields




            Aide




            As the other word. Neither is one that would necessarily be known by everyone though.







            share|improve this answer














            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer








            edited 19 hours ago









            Peregrine Rook

            4,51311337




            4,51311337










            answered yesterday









            Gnudiff

            2198




            2198








            • 3




              Your word is only three letters instead of four.
              – ralphmerridew
              yesterday










            • @ralphmerridew dammit can't imagine how I made that mistake. You can of course use plural to make it four letters but that would be an even bigger stretch
              – Gnudiff
              20 hours ago










            • (1) I don't recall ever hearing of your three-letter word, and I'm a college graduate with a fairly large vocabulary. The question says "anyone with at least a middle-school education will have heard" of these words.  (2) Also, do you claim that your two words are pronounced the same, as required by the question? None of the resources I found indicated that.
              – Peregrine Rook
              19 hours ago














            • 3




              Your word is only three letters instead of four.
              – ralphmerridew
              yesterday










            • @ralphmerridew dammit can't imagine how I made that mistake. You can of course use plural to make it four letters but that would be an even bigger stretch
              – Gnudiff
              20 hours ago










            • (1) I don't recall ever hearing of your three-letter word, and I'm a college graduate with a fairly large vocabulary. The question says "anyone with at least a middle-school education will have heard" of these words.  (2) Also, do you claim that your two words are pronounced the same, as required by the question? None of the resources I found indicated that.
              – Peregrine Rook
              19 hours ago








            3




            3




            Your word is only three letters instead of four.
            – ralphmerridew
            yesterday




            Your word is only three letters instead of four.
            – ralphmerridew
            yesterday












            @ralphmerridew dammit can't imagine how I made that mistake. You can of course use plural to make it four letters but that would be an even bigger stretch
            – Gnudiff
            20 hours ago




            @ralphmerridew dammit can't imagine how I made that mistake. You can of course use plural to make it four letters but that would be an even bigger stretch
            – Gnudiff
            20 hours ago












            (1) I don't recall ever hearing of your three-letter word, and I'm a college graduate with a fairly large vocabulary. The question says "anyone with at least a middle-school education will have heard" of these words.  (2) Also, do you claim that your two words are pronounced the same, as required by the question? None of the resources I found indicated that.
            – Peregrine Rook
            19 hours ago




            (1) I don't recall ever hearing of your three-letter word, and I'm a college graduate with a fairly large vocabulary. The question says "anyone with at least a middle-school education will have heard" of these words.  (2) Also, do you claim that your two words are pronounced the same, as required by the question? None of the resources I found indicated that.
            – Peregrine Rook
            19 hours ago










            up vote
            1
            down vote













            I believe this wasn't covered yet:




            long (/lôNG,läNG/): distance/lasting.

            along (/əˈlôNG,əˈläNG/): together/accompany.




            and




            rose (/rōz/): flower.

            arose (/əˈrōz/): emerge.




            Updated:




            iris [aɪrɪs]: the round coloured part that surrounds the pupil of your eye.
            airis [āīɾis]: oar, paddle (an instrument for rowing a boat).







            share|improve this answer










            New contributor




            Mukyuu is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.














            • 2




              I believe the condition that the pronunciation doesn't change after prepending a applies to the whole words ("????" and "A????"), not just the last four letters.
              – humfuzz
              16 hours ago












            • I might've misinterpreted it then since it wasn't implicitly stated the "whole words" but "changes the meaning but not the pronunciation". So I assume it was only the original four letter.
              – Mukyuu
              16 hours ago















            up vote
            1
            down vote













            I believe this wasn't covered yet:




            long (/lôNG,läNG/): distance/lasting.

            along (/əˈlôNG,əˈläNG/): together/accompany.




            and




            rose (/rōz/): flower.

            arose (/əˈrōz/): emerge.




            Updated:




            iris [aɪrɪs]: the round coloured part that surrounds the pupil of your eye.
            airis [āīɾis]: oar, paddle (an instrument for rowing a boat).







            share|improve this answer










            New contributor




            Mukyuu is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.














            • 2




              I believe the condition that the pronunciation doesn't change after prepending a applies to the whole words ("????" and "A????"), not just the last four letters.
              – humfuzz
              16 hours ago












            • I might've misinterpreted it then since it wasn't implicitly stated the "whole words" but "changes the meaning but not the pronunciation". So I assume it was only the original four letter.
              – Mukyuu
              16 hours ago













            up vote
            1
            down vote










            up vote
            1
            down vote









            I believe this wasn't covered yet:




            long (/lôNG,läNG/): distance/lasting.

            along (/əˈlôNG,əˈläNG/): together/accompany.




            and




            rose (/rōz/): flower.

            arose (/əˈrōz/): emerge.




            Updated:




            iris [aɪrɪs]: the round coloured part that surrounds the pupil of your eye.
            airis [āīɾis]: oar, paddle (an instrument for rowing a boat).







            share|improve this answer










            New contributor




            Mukyuu is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.









            I believe this wasn't covered yet:




            long (/lôNG,läNG/): distance/lasting.

            along (/əˈlôNG,əˈläNG/): together/accompany.




            and




            rose (/rōz/): flower.

            arose (/əˈrōz/): emerge.




            Updated:




            iris [aɪrɪs]: the round coloured part that surrounds the pupil of your eye.
            airis [āīɾis]: oar, paddle (an instrument for rowing a boat).








            share|improve this answer










            New contributor




            Mukyuu is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.









            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer








            edited 15 hours ago





















            New contributor




            Mukyuu is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.









            answered 16 hours ago









            Mukyuu

            1114




            1114




            New contributor




            Mukyuu is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.





            New contributor





            Mukyuu is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.






            Mukyuu is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.








            • 2




              I believe the condition that the pronunciation doesn't change after prepending a applies to the whole words ("????" and "A????"), not just the last four letters.
              – humfuzz
              16 hours ago












            • I might've misinterpreted it then since it wasn't implicitly stated the "whole words" but "changes the meaning but not the pronunciation". So I assume it was only the original four letter.
              – Mukyuu
              16 hours ago














            • 2




              I believe the condition that the pronunciation doesn't change after prepending a applies to the whole words ("????" and "A????"), not just the last four letters.
              – humfuzz
              16 hours ago












            • I might've misinterpreted it then since it wasn't implicitly stated the "whole words" but "changes the meaning but not the pronunciation". So I assume it was only the original four letter.
              – Mukyuu
              16 hours ago








            2




            2




            I believe the condition that the pronunciation doesn't change after prepending a applies to the whole words ("????" and "A????"), not just the last four letters.
            – humfuzz
            16 hours ago






            I believe the condition that the pronunciation doesn't change after prepending a applies to the whole words ("????" and "A????"), not just the last four letters.
            – humfuzz
            16 hours ago














            I might've misinterpreted it then since it wasn't implicitly stated the "whole words" but "changes the meaning but not the pronunciation". So I assume it was only the original four letter.
            – Mukyuu
            16 hours ago




            I might've misinterpreted it then since it wasn't implicitly stated the "whole words" but "changes the meaning but not the pronunciation". So I assume it was only the original four letter.
            – Mukyuu
            16 hours ago










            up vote
            0
            down vote













            What about




            rise

            arise




            ... must have 30 chars.






            share|improve this answer








            New contributor




            pxe is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.














            • 3




              I don't think this works because of the condition: "adding an A to the beginning changes the meaning but not the pronunciation".
              – Laurel
              yesterday










            • Welcome to Puzzling.SE!
              – SteveV
              23 hours ago










            • Ah nevermind, I misread that part.
              – pxe
              23 hours ago















            up vote
            0
            down vote













            What about




            rise

            arise




            ... must have 30 chars.






            share|improve this answer








            New contributor




            pxe is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.














            • 3




              I don't think this works because of the condition: "adding an A to the beginning changes the meaning but not the pronunciation".
              – Laurel
              yesterday










            • Welcome to Puzzling.SE!
              – SteveV
              23 hours ago










            • Ah nevermind, I misread that part.
              – pxe
              23 hours ago













            up vote
            0
            down vote










            up vote
            0
            down vote









            What about




            rise

            arise




            ... must have 30 chars.






            share|improve this answer








            New contributor




            pxe is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.









            What about




            rise

            arise




            ... must have 30 chars.







            share|improve this answer








            New contributor




            pxe is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.









            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer






            New contributor




            pxe is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.









            answered yesterday









            pxe

            1




            1




            New contributor




            pxe is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.





            New contributor





            pxe is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.






            pxe is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.








            • 3




              I don't think this works because of the condition: "adding an A to the beginning changes the meaning but not the pronunciation".
              – Laurel
              yesterday










            • Welcome to Puzzling.SE!
              – SteveV
              23 hours ago










            • Ah nevermind, I misread that part.
              – pxe
              23 hours ago














            • 3




              I don't think this works because of the condition: "adding an A to the beginning changes the meaning but not the pronunciation".
              – Laurel
              yesterday










            • Welcome to Puzzling.SE!
              – SteveV
              23 hours ago










            • Ah nevermind, I misread that part.
              – pxe
              23 hours ago








            3




            3




            I don't think this works because of the condition: "adding an A to the beginning changes the meaning but not the pronunciation".
            – Laurel
            yesterday




            I don't think this works because of the condition: "adding an A to the beginning changes the meaning but not the pronunciation".
            – Laurel
            yesterday












            Welcome to Puzzling.SE!
            – SteveV
            23 hours ago




            Welcome to Puzzling.SE!
            – SteveV
            23 hours ago












            Ah nevermind, I misread that part.
            – pxe
            23 hours ago




            Ah nevermind, I misread that part.
            – pxe
            23 hours ago










            Dirge of Dreams is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.










             

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