Sandy Wood
Brain Game: I Lettered at State
by Sandy Wood - September 26, 2008 - 6:30 AM

bloghead_braingames.jpg

Okay, I didn’t really earn a letter at State. I lettered in high school, but only in journalism. The coaches wouldn’t let me play football after the eighth grade, when I broke my arm in two places and sprained my wrist while bulldogging. (If you don’t know what that is, well, suffice to say that it’s a great way to break an arm.) Anyhoo…

“Ohio” is spelled using three different letters of the alphabet (H, I, and O)
while “Indiana” uses four (A, D, I, and N).

The name of which U.S. state is spelled
using ELEVEN different letters of the alphabet?

HERE is the answer.

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Comments (25)

  1. South Carolina

    posted by Grant on 9-26-2008 at 7:07 am

  2. New Hampshire

    posted by dls on 9-26-2008 at 7:27 am

  3. Doesn’t “New Hampshire” qualify, or am I miscounting?

    posted by Dixon on 9-26-2008 at 7:33 am

  4. What about the official name of Rhode Island: “State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations” ?

    posted by sarah k on 9-26-2008 at 7:38 am

  5. New Hampshire is close, Dixon — but uses only 10 different letters.

    posted by Sandy on 9-26-2008 at 7:41 am

  6. N(1)e(2)w(3) H(4)a(5)m(6)p(7)s(8)h(9)i(10)r(11)e

    I think it uses 11.

    posted by Hmmm? on 9-26-2008 at 8:48 am

  7. Yea, I also came up with New Hampshire…but Sandy is right…that second H slipped passed me and I counted it.

    posted by Floyd on 9-26-2008 at 8:52 am

  8. oooh….I’m stupid.

    posted by Hmmmm? on 9-26-2008 at 8:54 am

  9. I need someone to explain how New Hampshire has only 10 different letters. My count shows eleven.

    posted by Jaime on 9-26-2008 at 9:10 am

  10. @sarah k – The question was asking what state uses eleven different letters, not the greatest amount of different letters.

    posted by Brittany on 9-26-2008 at 9:20 am

  11. The New Hampshire reminds of the test when you are suppose to count vowels in a sentence and everybody invariable misses the “a”s. Two H’s are in there… (H)amps(H)ire.

    posted by Marty on 9-26-2008 at 9:33 am

  12. New Hampshire uses only 10 letters of the alphabet:

    A, E, H, I, M, N, P, R, S, and W.

    The “E” and “H” are repeated, which is probably why some of you may be coming up with 11.

    posted by Sandy on 9-26-2008 at 9:33 am

  13. It’s North Carolina or South Carolina.

    posted by OM on 9-26-2008 at 9:56 am

  14. I thought it was Washington DC. … 12. Sorry, not American!

    posted by Jasmine on 9-26-2008 at 10:34 am

  15. I, too, counted New Hampshire as 11 by double-counting the H. That’s an easy one to fall for!!

    @ OM:
    North Carolina doesn’t count – it’s only 10 letters.

    posted by Cherylita on 9-26-2008 at 12:34 pm

  16. I know I’m belaboring the point, but… well, it’s Friday.

    Cherylita? North Carolina is an easy one to fall for too, because it’s actually only NINE letters.

    “North” repeats the “N” and “R” from “Carolina” (whereas “South” doesn’t).

    No matter, since NC isn’t the correct answer anyway. But someone was gonna say so sooner or later, so… :)

    posted by Sandy on 9-26-2008 at 12:53 pm

  17. South Carolina.

    Rhode Island & West Virginia are also close at 10.

    How many others only use 4?
    I can think of: Hawaii, Alaska, Iowa, Alabama, Mississippi.
    But there are probably others.

    posted by Nerak on 9-26-2008 at 1:14 pm

  18. Tennessee

    posted by Bryan on 9-26-2008 at 1:49 pm

  19. Rhode Island and the Providence Plantations is the official name with 15!

    posted by scott on 9-26-2008 at 2:28 pm

  20. D i s t r c o f l u m b a are all used in the District of Columbia. That’s 13

    posted by Rich on 9-26-2008 at 4:53 pm

  21. District Of Columbia isn’t a state, and I’m stupid too, I kept missing the second H in new HampsHire.

    posted by Rob on 9-26-2008 at 6:46 pm

  22. Rhode island has 11 letters none off them repeats, not ten. Are you trying to drive me insane?

    posted by DiDi on 9-30-2008 at 12:11 pm

  23. nevermind, i just saw it: 2 (d)s

    posted by DiDi on 9-30-2008 at 12:15 pm

  24. What about the longest state that can be spelled with only four letters? Somebody HAS to know this!

    posted by Josh on 11-24-2008 at 4:53 pm

  25. sorry i didn’t see the post with all the 4 letter states above.

    posted by Josh on 12-1-2008 at 3:29 pm

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