In the spirit of the What is a Word™/Phrase™ series started by JLee, a special brand of Phrase™ and Word™ puzzles.
If a word conforms to a special rule, I call it a Useful Word™.
Use the examples below to find the rule.
$$ % set Title text. (spaces around the text ARE important; do not remove.) % increase Pad value only if your entries are longer than the title bar. % \def\Pad{\P{0.0}} \def\Title{\textbf{ Useful }} % \def\S#1#2{\Space{#1}{20px}{#2px}}\def\P#1{\V{#1em}}\def\V#1{\S{#1}{9}} \def\T{\Title\textbf{Words}^{\;\!™}\Pad}\def\NT{\Pad\textbf{Not}\T\ }\displaystyle \smash{\lower{29px}\bbox[yellow]{\phantom{\rlap{rubio.2019.05.15}\S{6px}{0} \begin{array}{cc}\Pad\T&\NT\\\end{array}}}}\atop\def\V#1{\S{#1}{5}} \begin{array}{|c|c|}\hline\Pad\T&\NT\\\hline % \text{ ALL }&\text{ ANY }\\ \hline \text{ NEAR }&\text{ AT }\\ \hline \text{ BORROW }&\text{ BEG }\\ \hline \text{ CURSE }&\text{ BLESS }\\ \hline \text{ SNITCH }&\text{ BLUDGER }\\ \hline \text{ CANER }&\text{ CANNER }\\ \hline \text{ REBS }&\text{ DEBS }\\ \hline \text{ LIGHTEST }&\text{ GRAVEST }\\ \hline \text{ SUPPED }&\text{ LUNCHED }\\ \hline \text{ DIAMOND }&\text{ MOD }\\ \hline \text{ AND }&\text{ NOR }\\ \hline \text{ COVERT }&\text{ OVERT }\\ \hline \text{ QUAYS }&\text{ PIERS }\\ \hline \text{ GREEN }&\text{ RED }\\ \hline \text{ OTHERS }&\text{ SELF }\\ \hline \text{ GAMBLE }&\text{ WAGER }\\ \hline \text{ BLACKEST }&\text{ WHITEST }\\ \hline \end{array}$$
| Useful Words™ | Not Useful Words™ |
|---|---|
| ALL | ANY |
| NEAR | AT |
| BORROW | BEG |
| CURSE | BLESS |
| SNITCH | BLUDGER |
| CANER | CANNER |
| REBS | DEBS |
| LIGHTEST | GRAVEST |
| SUPPED | LUNCHED |
| DIAMOND | MOD |
| AND | NOR |
| COVERT | OVERT |
| QUAYS | PIERS |
| GREEN | RED |
| OTHERS | SELF |
| GAMBLE | WAGER |
| BLACKEST | WHITEST |
And, if you want to analyze, here is a CSV version:
Useful Words™,Not Useful Words™
ALL,ANY
NEAR,AT
BORROW,BEG
CURSE,BLESS
SNITCH,BLUDGER
CANER,CANNER
REBS,DEBS
LIGHTEST,GRAVEST
SUPPED,LUNCHED
DIAMOND,MOD
AND,NOR
COVERT,OVERT
QUAYS,PIERS
GREEN,RED
OTHERS,SELF
GAMBLE,WAGER
BLACKEST,WHITEST
The puzzle satisfies the series' inbuilt assumption, that each word can be tested for whether it is a Useful Word™ without relying on the other words.
These are not the only examples of Useful Words™; many more exist.
What is the special rule these words conform to?
—HINTS—
helpfulness level 0:
The name fits here, technically; a different name might have been more appropriate.
helpfulness level 1:
There are way more Useful Words™ than Not Useful Words™.
helpfulness level 2:
This is likely impossible to solve unless you start with the right words.
