Monday, April 20, 2009

Riddle #49: what word?

This riddle is a bit different, but it's fun (besides, I'm running out of the lateral thinking puzzles that I prefer). Here goes:

What word contains all five vowels: a, e, i, o, u -- but only has 7 letters total?

It's not a trick question or anything. There really is such a word -- and it's one I'm pretty sure you know.

NOTE: The correct answer has been guessed. To read it, see the comments section.

Lateral Thinking Puzzlers by Paul Sloane has lots of classic riddles, clues and answers. Click here to order it.


  1. And, since nobody is answering, I might as well tell it too. It's "sequoia."

  2. Fancy that. Of the two rich and rare things called consonants in the very vowelly seven letter word called sequoia, one of them is the rare "q."

  3. Yes, you're right, of course. I was going to have people play "animal, vegetable, mineral" if no one guessed it by Sunday. Yes, it is interesting that the word has a "q" in it. But that's a good way to get a "u" in it. Oh, and the other consonant is the very common "s"

  4. Ahhh. I was definitely not on the right path. I was trying all the different vowel blends--ie, au, ia, ou, ae, ea, etc. I never even considered a qu.

  5. Did you know that the inventor of the term "Lateral Thinking" lives in Malta, of all places? He has a whole article on wikipedia. Tuea Huea!