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This is in the spirit of the What is a Word™/Phrase™ series started by JLee with a special brand of Phrase™ and Word™ puzzles.

If a word conforms to a special rule, I call it a Mutated Word™.
Use the examples below to find the rule.

Mutated Words™ Not Mutated Words™
BRASH CALM
CROWN TIARA
DINNER LUNCH
FEEL SENSE
LADDER STAIR
SEAT STOOL
SUPPER BREAKFAST
THINK REACT
WHOSE WHOM

In case you want it in CSV:

Mutated Words™,Not Mutated Words™
BRASH,CALM
CROWN,TIARA
DINNER,LUNCH
FEEL,SENSE
LADDER,STAIR
SEAT,STOOL
SUPPER,BREAKFAST
THINK,REACT
WHOSE,WHOM

The puzzle relies on the series' inbuilt assumption, that each word can be tested for whether it is a Mutated Word™ without relying on the other words.

These are not the only examples of Mutated Words™, many more exist.

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  • $\begingroup$ That chair is bugging me $\endgroup$
    – DrnglVrgs
    Jan 26, 2017 at 19:56
  • $\begingroup$ Actually, now that I look at it, chair is a mutated word. I will update. $\endgroup$
    – APrough
    Jan 26, 2017 at 20:39
  • $\begingroup$ Is stool a mutated word also? $\endgroup$
    – DrnglVrgs
    Jan 26, 2017 at 23:30

3 Answers 3

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My guess would be that

a mutated word is a word that is created by combining 2 other words with some cross over (specifically the second word starts with the second last letter of the first word)

Explanations:

BRA and RASH --> BRASH
CROW and OWN --> CROWN
DIN and INNER --> DINNER
FEE and EEL --> FEEL
LAD and ADDER --> LADDER
SEA and EAT --> SEAT
SUP and UPPER --> SUPPER
THIN and INK --> THINK
WHO and HOSE --> WHOSE

Similarly a non mutated word is any word that doesn't fit that condition

Ex. BREAKFAST --> BREAK and FAST do not cross over

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    $\begingroup$ @MikeQ AIR also works for that though. Either way, it fits for all the ones in the actual question $\endgroup$
    – Written
    Jan 26, 2017 at 21:03
  • $\begingroup$ Yeah, basically any two words that share two letters. So, CHAIR IS CHAI and AIR. Your explanation of the "second last letter" was spot on. $\endgroup$
    – APrough
    Jan 27, 2017 at 17:44
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Can be reduced letter by letter to a single letter word leaving an (albeit archaic or obscure) word at each stage.

E.g. brash->rash->ash->as->a think->hink->ink->in->I

But obviously not the answer: whom->who->ho->o stool->tool->too->to->o

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  • $\begingroup$ How do you do that with FEEL? (Also, welcome to Puzzling!) $\endgroup$
    – Deusovi ♦
    Jan 27, 2017 at 3:10
  • $\begingroup$ @Deusovi Feel-eel-el-e where el is a unit of measurement and E is the 3rd degree of the C-major scale $\endgroup$
    – boboquack
    Jan 27, 2017 at 3:14
  • $\begingroup$ Yeah, doesn't work with both sets of answers, but I like this reasoning. Would probably make a great "What is a Word" puzzle down the road once people forget about it. $\endgroup$
    – APrough
    Jan 27, 2017 at 18:10
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A Mutated Word™ is a word that:

remain a word after removing the first letter

Example:

BRASH -> RASH
CROWN -> ROWN
DINNER -> INNER

Not Mutated:

CALM -> ALM
TIARA -> IARA

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    $\begingroup$ Stool -> tool. That one doesn't work $\endgroup$
    – Nik
    Jan 26, 2017 at 22:21
  • $\begingroup$ And Calm -> Alm works. But Whom -> Hom,Think -> Hink, and Crown -> Rown do not. $\endgroup$
    – APrough
    Jan 27, 2017 at 18:12

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