16
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Thanks to JoeZ, pacoverflow, isaacg, Sp3000, Novarg, Ram, h34, and all those who contributed answers that have since been beaten. I've accepted JoeZ's answer since he has the most mentions on the list below, but this puzzle isn't 'closed': if you can beat any of the words on the list below, post an answer and your name will be mentioned!

The challenge

For each letter of the alphabet, A to Z, find a word containing the highest possible proportion of that letter If people come up with more than one word with the same proportion, the longest one wins.

Examples:

  • taking the letter A, the best I can think of is "taramasalata" (6/12), which trumps "banana" (3/6) because it's longer; "banana" in turn trumps "razzmatazz" (3/10), although the latter word might be a good candidate for the letter Z
  • taking the letter B, "blubber" (3/7) is an easy starting point which can probably be outdone.

Rules:

  • only words of at least 5 letters
  • no proper nouns (i.e. place or person names)
  • only English dictionary words
  • exclude words like "aaaaaah" and "hmmmmmm" which could in theory be extended as far as you like to get arbitrarily many A's or M's

Hopefully this covers all the loopholes, so that nobody will come up with 'silly' examples that need more rules to avoid!

This is an puzzle, which means the current best answer may be outdone at any time. Partial answers (not covering all 26 letters) are fine; you can make them cover all 26 just by copying from the "current best" which I'll keep updated below.

Current best

A: araara (4/6) [credit: TakingNotes]
B: bobby (3/5) [credit: pacoverflow]
C: coccic (4/6) [credit: isaacg]
D: dodded (4/6) [credit: isaacg]
E: peewee (4/6) [credit: Joe Z]
F: feoff / fluff (3/5) [credit: Sp3000 / isaacg]
G: glogg (3/5) [credit: Joe Z]
H: hashish (3/7) [credit: isaacg]
I: iiwis (3/5) [credit: h34]
J: hajji (2/5) [credit: Sp3000]
K: kakkak (4/6) [credit: isaacg]
L: lulls / lolls / lolly (3/5) [credit: Joe Z / isaacg / Novarg]
M: mommy / mamma / mummy (3/5) [credit: pacoverflow / isaacg / Novarg]
N: nanny (3/5) [credit: pacoverflow]
O: voodoo / booboo (4/6) [credit: Joe Z / Sp3000]
P: peppy / puppy / pappy / poppy (3/5) [credit: pacoverflow / Novarg / Sp3000 / Joe Z]$^1$
Q: duqqa (2/5) [credit: TakingNotes]
R: rarer / error (3/5) [credit: pacoverflow / isaacg]
S: assess / sasses (4/6) [credit: Joe Z / pacoverflow]
T: tatty (3/5) [credit: Sp3000]
U: muumuu (4/6) [credit: Joe Z]
V: vivid / divvy / valve / civvy (2/5) [credit: pacoverflow / isaacg / Novarg / Sp3000]
W: powwow (3/6) [credit: Joe Z]
X: xerox (2/5) [credit: Joe Z]
Y: syzygy (3/6) [credit: Joe Z]
Z: pzazz (3/5)

At the moment I'm listing ties, but please don't go too much over the top with new words that match old ones - if there get to be too many equal winners for each letter, I'll have to remove all but the first one.

$^1$ Nobody mention "pippy"! :-)

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17
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ Couldn't you just run a dictionary search? $\endgroup$
    – user88
    Mar 19, 2015 at 1:32
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @JoeZ. I'm hoping this will be an interesting challenge rather than just a "who's got the biggest dictionary"-type thing! $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Mar 19, 2015 at 1:39
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ For what it's worth, I'm not computer-searching through a dictionary while coming up with the words in my list. $\endgroup$
    – user88
    Mar 19, 2015 at 1:40
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ iiwis beats bikini, and qaimaqam beats equivoque and quinquina. $\endgroup$
    – h34
    Mar 19, 2015 at 16:54
  • 4
    $\begingroup$ I’m voting to close this question because open-ended puzzles are off topic. (This is a bit textbook open-ended, since it keeps getting bumped with new answers and no answer can guarantee optimality) $\endgroup$
    – bobble
    May 5, 2021 at 14:36

18 Answers 18

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11
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My contributions to this list:

B: hubbub (3/6)
C: coccyx (3/6)
E: peewee (4/6)
G: glogg (3/5)
I: radii (2/5)
J: jejune (2/6)
L: lulls (3/5)
O: voodoo (4/6)
P: poppy (3/5)
Q: equivoque (2/9, had to google for this one)
S: assess (4/6)
U: muumuu (4/6)
V: vulva (2/5)
W: powwow (3/6)
X: xerox (2/5, if we're counting genericized trademarks)
Y: syzygy (3/6)
Z: pizzazz (4/7)

Also some sketchy and dubious contenders:

E: teevee (4/6, a transcribed phonetic spelling of TV [OED])
O: hoooo (4/5, a Japanese loan word for phoenix, also spelled houou)
T: tut-tut (4/6, a hyphenated interjection expressing disapproval [OED])

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  • 1
    $\begingroup$ You might have a better time asking for the highest letter ratio, not counting words that are just a single letter repeated. $\endgroup$
    – user88
    Mar 19, 2015 at 1:36
  • $\begingroup$ Highest ratio was actually my original idea, but then I thought ... most of the highest-ratio words will actually be really short ones like "bib" or "too", which makes it not so interesting. $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Mar 19, 2015 at 1:43
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ True. Maybe highest ratio with at least five letters? $\endgroup$
    – user88
    Mar 19, 2015 at 1:45
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ That's a good idea, but why five rather than four or six? Maybe I'll do that ... do you think it's OK to edit the question? Only 7 views ... probably nobody will notice if I edit! $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Mar 19, 2015 at 1:47
  • $\begingroup$ Yeah, at this point only I've answered, and I'm okay with the question change. $\endgroup$
    – user88
    Mar 19, 2015 at 1:49
7
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A: alpaca (3/6)
B: bobby (3/5)
C: cocky (2/5)
D: added (3/5)
F: fifty (2/5)
G: gagged (3/6)
I: idiom (2/5)
K: kicks (2/5)
M: mommy (3/5)
N: nanny (3/5)
P: peppy (3/5)
R: rarer (3/5)
S: sasses (4/6)
T: tattle (3/6)
V: vivid (2/5)

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1
  • $\begingroup$ "alpaca" is already beat out by taramasalata, though. $\endgroup$
    – user88
    Mar 19, 2015 at 4:30
4
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I: isidioid or kivikivi (4/8).

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1
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    $\begingroup$ Thanks and +1, but h34 has now beaten 4/8 with "iiwis"! $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Mar 19, 2015 at 20:57
4
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for the word with the highest h ratio you could do HIGHTH 3/6

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1
  • $\begingroup$ how has this not replaced hashish (3/7) yet? $\endgroup$
    – rhavelka
    May 5, 2021 at 18:58
4
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My attempt

Q - quinque is 2/7 (five/having five)

Sorry I completely forgot these don't qualify due to five letter minimum

V - vav is 2/1 (I guess it may not qualify as its a letter of the Hebrew alphabet)
V - viva/vive is 2/4 (long live)

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  • 2
    $\begingroup$ Thanks! I've used up my vote limit for the day, but will upvote after midnight :-) $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Mar 19, 2015 at 23:28
  • $\begingroup$ Is quinque really a word? The dictionaries I’ve checked (the OED and Merriam-Webster) do list it, but only as a combining form (i.e. as a prefix in words like quinquefoliate, “having five leaves”) not as a standalone word. $\endgroup$
    – Peter LeFanu Lumsdaine
    May 11, 2016 at 21:39
3
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Just for reference, since I mentioned this in comments but haven't seen it in anyone else's answer:

Z: pzazz (3/5)

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3
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For s, obsessivenesses would work if you allow plurals. If not, then obsessiveness is still good!

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1
  • $\begingroup$ Welcome to Puzzling! "Assess" was already posted, and it has 4/6 letters "s" - "obsessivenesses" has 6/15, which is much smaller. $\endgroup$
    – Deusovi ♦
    Mar 16, 2017 at 15:01
3
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Based on current best I made this list:

A: agama (3/5)
B: baobab (3/6)
C: cancer (2/6)
D: daddy (3/5)
E:
F: fluff (3/5)
G: gagging (4/7)
H: height (2/6)
I: bikini (3/6)
J:
K: kukri (2/5)
L: lolly (3/5)
M: mummy (3/5)
N: cannon (3/6)
O:
P: puppy (3/5)
Q: queue (1/5)
R: horror (3/6)
S: possess (4/7)
T: twitter (3/7)
U:
V: valve (2/5)
W:
X:
Y:
Z:

Couldn't think about any words that can beat E, J, O, U, W, X, Y, Z. Other words are better that current best (at least for now)

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3
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My contributions (many duplicates and ties with others--alas no new champions):

a: Kabaa (3/5)
b: bobby (3/5)
c: cocci (3/5)
d: added (3/5)
e: peewee (2/3)
f: faffs (3/5)
g: gagging (4/7)
h: hashish (4/7)
i: bikini (1/2)
j: hajji (2/5)
k: Akkad (2/5)
l: lolls (3/5)
m: mammy (3/5)
n: nanny (3/5)
o: boohoo (2/3)
p: pappy (3/5)
q: aquas (1/5)
r: error (3/5)
s: assess (2/3)
t: tatty (3/5)
u: muumuu (2/3)
v: bevvy (2/5)
w: bowwow (1/2)
x: Exxon (2/5)
y: byway (2/5)
z: pzazz (3/5)

In Mathematica:

alllongwords = Select[DictionaryLookup[___], StringLength[#] > 4 &];
letterratiolists = 
  Table[((StringCount[#, CharacterRange["a", "z"][[qq]]]/
        StringLength[#]) & /@ alllongwords), {qq, 1, 26}];
Table[alllongwords[[Position[letterratiolists[[qq]], 
     Max[letterratiolists[[qq]]]][[1, 1]]]], {qq, 1, 26}]

Here are the results in Spanish:

{"abada", "baobab", "cicca", "dedada", "berebere", "afufa", "galga", 
"huchohó", "dividivi", "ajajá", "kappa", "alcall", "súmmum", 
"nengún", "ojoso", "cappa", "quique", "errar", "esposas", "tatetí", 
"chucuru", "valva", "aarónica", "coxcox", "yarey", "cazuz"}

and French:

{"agaça", "baobab", "accroc", "dadas", "exerce", "fieffé", "gigogne",
"chahs", "infini", "joujou", "kakis", "libellule", "summum", "nanan",
"rococo", "appas", "qqu'un", "errer", "assis", "attentat", "cumulus",
"aviva", "clown", "anxieux", "youyou", "lazzi"}

and Italian:

{"agata", "babbi", "cacca", "addendi", "aeree", "baffi", "aggeggi",
"chicche", "finii", "abate", "quark", "lilla", "mamma", "nonna",
"odono", "pappa", "qualunque", "correr", "sassi", "tatti", "usufruì",
"evviva", "Newton", "Morgex", "Cluny", "zazzera"}
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1
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Can you please tell us which records you've beaten? $\endgroup$
    – boboquack
    Mar 17, 2017 at 0:59
3
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Some more contributions:

A: agama (3/5)
C: cocci (3/5)
F: feoff (3/5)
J: hajji (2/5)
T: tatty (3/5)

Everything else I got tied with Joe and pac's answers.

One for "x" that's not a trademark (although "xerox" is pretty common):

X: maxixe (2/6)

Edit: Since we seem to be doing ties, here are the tied answers I got which were different:

O: booboo (4/6)
P: pappy (3/5)
Q: quinquina (2/9)
V: civvy (2/5)

Deemed invalid:

H: highth (3/6)
I: filii (3/5)

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3
  • $\begingroup$ People above thought maybe "highth" should be excluded as obsolete. Also "filii" is a bit dodgy because it's Latin! $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Mar 19, 2015 at 11:05
  • $\begingroup$ Is "lilly" a dictionary word? I can't seem to find it... $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Mar 19, 2015 at 13:00
  • $\begingroup$ @randal'thor Oops sorry. My dictionary has proper nouns in it and I've been checking each one, but I thought lilly was the flower and neglected to do so for that one. $\endgroup$
    – Sp3000
    Mar 19, 2015 at 13:03
3
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Current best list, as far as I know:

a: agama, 3/5
b: bobby, 3/5
c: coccic, 4/6
d: dodded, 4/6
e: peewee, 4/6
f: fluff, 3/5
g: glogg, 3/5
h: hashish, 3/7
i: bikini, 3/6
j: hajji, 2/5
k: kakkak, 4/6
l: lolls, 3/5
m: mamma, 3/5
n: nanny, 3/5
o: voodoo, 4/6
p: peppy, 3/5
q: equivoque, 2/9
r: error, 3/5
s: assess, 4/6
t: tatty, 3/5
u: muumuu, 4/6
v: divvy, 2/5
w: powwow, 3/6
x: xerox, 2/5
y: syzygy, 3/6
z: pzazz, 3/5

Recent updates:

  • Added "pzazz", which is arguably valid.
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14
  • $\begingroup$ "highth" is a word? I always assumed it was "heigth" and just a misspelling of "height". $\endgroup$
    – user88
    Mar 19, 2015 at 5:29
  • $\begingroup$ Wikipedia says it's obsolete - I'll remove it. $\endgroup$
    – isaacg
    Mar 19, 2015 at 5:30
  • $\begingroup$ Equivoque is 2/9, not 1/5. $\endgroup$
    – user88
    Mar 19, 2015 at 5:30
  • $\begingroup$ Also powwow is 3/6. $\endgroup$
    – user88
    Mar 19, 2015 at 5:32
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    $\begingroup$ @h34 If Pokémon names were allowed, we could get 4/5 for "Eevee". $\endgroup$
    – user88
    Mar 19, 2015 at 17:24
2
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Does secessionists (5/13) qualify?

Edit

I know this won't qualify to win, but I found one with five s with a better ratio

assessments (5/11)

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3
  • $\begingroup$ Yes, but it's already outdone by "assess" and "sasses". $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Mar 19, 2015 at 20:52
  • $\begingroup$ So you are validating through the ratio not the number of repeating letters? $\endgroup$
    – A.D.
    Mar 20, 2015 at 12:11
  • $\begingroup$ That's right. From the OP: "find a word containing the highest possible proportion of that letter". $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Mar 20, 2015 at 20:56
1
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S: sass's / sess's / siss's / suss's (4/5)

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0
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a: abaca, 3/5
b: bibbs, 3/5
e: beebee, 4/6
j: jujus, 2/5
l: allyl, 3/5
o: coocoo, 4/6
p: pappi, 3/5
s: sisses, 4/6

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0
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Not a real answer but, any pokemon fans ? :)

Eevee ( 4 / 5 )

And also:

Atacama ( 4 / 7 ) 'a desert in Chile'
Scissors ( 4 / 8 )
Milli-millillion ( 6 / 15 )
riffaff ( 4 / 7 )
protozoology ( 5 / 12 )
stresslessness ( 7 / 14 )

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0
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Current records:

A - araara (4/6) ~ New Zealand jargon for trevally
Q - duqqa (2/5) ~ an Egyptian spice
P - poppop (4/6) ~ informal term for grandfather (not validated yet)

Invalid suggestions:

A - laalaa (4/6) ~ a Senegalese language

Links: araara, duqqa, poppop (it's listed under alternate forms), laalaa

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2
  • $\begingroup$ Laalaa is a proper noun, I suppose. Duqqa is valid. $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Mar 26, 2021 at 7:01
  • $\begingroup$ @Randal'Thor Added a hopefully more valid word for the A, hope this one works. $\endgroup$
    – TakingNotes
    Mar 26, 2021 at 7:34
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B: BLABBY (3/6)

E: GREEGREE (4/8)

G: GIGGING (4/7)

L: BELLPULL (4/8)

M: HAMMAM (3/6)

O: BOOCOO (4/6)

P: POPPER (3/6)

S: CLASSLESSNESSES (7/13)

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1
  • $\begingroup$ None of these beat the already existing answers for those letters. $\endgroup$
    – Rand al'Thor
    Apr 2, 2021 at 20:35
-1
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My contributions:

a - maharaja (4/8)
b -
c -
d -
e - eyelevel (4/8)
f - riffraff (4/8)
g - giggling (4/8)
h -
i - indivisibilities (7/16)
j - juju (2/4)
k - kabaka (3/6)
l -
m - muumuu was already done. :/
n -
o -
p -
q -
r - extraterrestrial (4/16)
s -
t - extraterrestrial (3/16)
u -
v -
w -
x -
y -
z -

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2
  • $\begingroup$ None of these beat the current ratios except juju, which is invalid according to the rules. $\endgroup$
    – Deusovi ♦
    May 11, 2016 at 21:54
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @Deusovi Sorry. Forgot about the 5-letter rule. And I don't care if they don't beat. $\endgroup$
    – bb216b3acfd8f72cbc8f899d4d6963
    May 11, 2016 at 21:54

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