ONE SOLUTION:
BRAIN -> BRAID -> BRAND -> BRANS -> BEANS -> BEARS -> HEARS -> HEART.
Please feel free to comment if you find a different (or shorter) solution!
Comments (4)
Comment
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Sandy, how long do you usually work on these change one word into the other riddles? They regularly kick my butt, so I am curious how long it takes you to come up with them.
posted by Chris on 12-9-2008 at 10:01 am
Chris, it depends. I do have some old software (from the early 1990s, I think) that does rudimentary “word ladders” of up to six letters, but that’s often of little help because the dictionary is very limited. But, admittedly, it sometimes gives me a starting place. From there, I’m maybe able to shave a word off here or there.
Most of it, though, is years of enjoying word games and playing Boggle and Scrabble and such. I just enjoy “fooling around” with words and seeing what happens. (Yes, I’m a lonely old man. Thank God for my wife, Kara.)
posted by Sandy on 12-9-2008 at 11:17 am
This is the same solution I came up with, but I’m still uncertain about “BRANS”. Can bran be plural?
posted by Kevin on 12-9-2008 at 2:41 pm
BRAIN
BRAUN
BRAUS*
BRADS
BEADS
BEARS
HEARS
HEART
* Once I figure out what “braus” means, I’ll come back and let you know…
posted by Ryan on 12-9-2008 at 7:00 pm