# Quel est le dernier mot?

What is the last word / Quel est le dernier mot?

(a) USE, FIX, QUIDS, CURT, EXIT, TUN, NORTH, EQUIP, AXIS, ?
(b) EN, VOIE, TWIST, ENFERS, HIER, ONT, HUNE, VEXE, TOGE, ?


These are two separate questions.

• Are the questions related, or is there an ultimate answer using both last words? If not, it would be preferred if you made separate posts for them. – Cashbee Sep 14 at 9:55
• @Cashbee I was told to put different but closely related questions into one question so that's confusing :) – Anush Sep 14 at 10:07
• I added the language tag due to several French words. If this is wrong you are able to edit/undo it – Chowzen Sep 14 at 10:32
• @Anush apparently they are quite related. Forget I said anything then. Nice puzzle! – Cashbee Sep 14 at 12:17
• @xhienne I must apologise. I wanted the wording to be exactly the same as the version I was given. In hindsight, the corrected version is OK. – Anush Sep 14 at 14:03

From all the letters in part b) we can form the numbers from one to ten with some letters missing.
So we have EN VOIE TWIST ENFERS HIER ONT HUNE VEXE TOGE
minus ONE = VIE TWIST ENFERS HIER ONT HUNE VEXE TOGE
minus TWO = VIE IST ENFERS HIER NT HUNE VEXE TOGE
minus THREE = VIE IS ENFERS I NT HUN VEXE TOGE
minus FOUR = VIE IS ENES I NT HN VEXE TGE
minus FIVE = IS ENES I NT HN VEXE TGE -> missing F
minus SIX = ENES I NT HN VEE TGE
minus SEVEN = I NT HN EE TGE
minus EIGHT = N N E TE
minus NINE = TE -> missing I
minus TEN = TE -> missing N
so, I guess the missing word is FIN.

For part a)

In a similar manner removing one by one the French words for the numbers 1-10 we can find that we are missing the letters ned, but I guess the word in question is END, just so that it matches the French one.
USE FIX QUIDS CURT EXIT TUN NORTH EQUIP AXIS
minus UN = SE FIX QUIDS CURT EXIT TU NORTH EQUIP AXIS
minus DEUX = S FI QIS CURT EXIT TU NORTH EQUIP AXIS
minus TROIS = F QIS CU EXIT TU NRTH EQUIP AXIS
minus QUATRE = F IS C XI TU NTH EQUIP XIS
minus CINQ = F S XI TU TH EUIP XIS
minus SIX = F TU TH EUIP XIS
minus SEPT = F U TH UI XI
minus HUIT = F U XI
minus NEUF = XI -> missing NE
minus DIX -> missing D
So the missing word is END

• Very nicely done! How did you do it so quickly? – Anush Sep 14 at 15:14
• @Anush I counted the words and somehow they looked to me like one, two, three. – rhsquared Sep 14 at 15:16
• @rhsquared every word has the same number of letters as the corresponging word for a number. – svavil Sep 14 at 17:09
• @svavil and this well. I don't know French. I googled it. Initially, when I saw the second line, it looked like un, etc. – rhsquared Sep 15 at 1:46