The twenty-seven word score club

Like lots of people on facebook, I've been playing scrabulous on facebook. I'm not much of a wordsmith, but I have fun playing people. Justin told me that his goal in life was to span two triple-word scores, to get a 9x word score. So not to be outdone, I wondered what words would be able to give you a 27-word score if you spanned across all three triple-word scores. We would need fifteen lettered words.

Since you can only put down at most seven tiles per turn, there needs to be a word in-between the triple letter scores to help you fill it out. These "bridge words" can't already be on the triple word score already, and they must be between two and six letters long on each side, where the total length of both words has to be greater than eight.

So I wrote a program in a couple hours to find them. I did take into account whether a word was possible to make based on the scrabble tile distribution, as well as taking into account blanks. There's 286 of them thus far in the TWL scrabble dictionary. I didn't find ones that used more than one bridge word on a side. The points aren't completely accurate either.

The first number is the points you'd get, and then the two bridge words. Based simply on the probability of drawing the numbers from a full bag, "irrationalities" is the most likely word. (in reality, this never happens, since you need to draw tile in order to place those words to reach the side.)

459 : irrationalistic : ["ratio", "alist"]

You can score a whopping 459 points with it. The word that has the biggest word score is "coenzymatically"

972 : coenzymatically : ["enzym", "tical"]

Yes. "tical" is a word.

ti·cal –noun, plural
1. a former silver coin and monetary unit of Siam, equal to 100 satang: replaced in 1928 by the baht.

There are quite a number of common words, you wouldn't think, as well as quite a number odd ones. As a note, the point scores aren't exactly accurate. I didn't take into account the double letter scores that might occur if you place a letter one it. But given that the multiplier is 27 here, and I picked the longest bridge words (which usually cover the double letter score), it shouldn't affect it too much. I had held off posting it until I fixed that, but this was sort of a one off amusement and curiosity, rather than anything significant, so I figured I'd just post it. Enjoy!

567 : accountableness : ["count", "lenes"]
648 : accountantships : ["count", "ship"]
486 : administrations : ["minis", "ration"]
648 : ammonifications : ["mon", "cation"]
594 : amorphousnesses : ["morpho", "ness"]
621 : anthropological : ["thro", "logic"]
783 : anthropomorphic : ["thro", "morph"]
594 : antihistaminics : ["his", "aminic"]
540 : antitheoretical : ["tithe", "etic"]
594 : aromatherapists : ["math", "rapist"]
540 : astronautically : ["trona", "tical"]
756 : astrophysically : ["strop", "call"]
675 : astrophysicists : ["strop", "cist"]
540 : atheroscleroses : ["heros", "erose"]
540 : atherosclerosis : ["heros", "eros"]
594 : atherosclerotic : ["heros", "roti"]
540 : authentications : ["then", "cation"]
594 : autoradiographs : ["tora", "graph"]
675 : autoradiography : ["tora", "graph"]
810 : bathymetrically : ["thyme", "call"]
594 : beautifications : ["eau", "cation"]
594 : benightednesses : ["night", "ness"]
675 : blameworthiness : ["lame", "thine"]
540 : brotherlinesses : ["other", "ness"]
486 : businesspersons : ["sines", "person"]
405 : ceaselessnesses : ["easel", "ness"]
729 : chancellorships : ["hance", "ship"]
729 : chemotherapists : ["moth", "rapist"]
810 : cholangiography : ["lang", "graph"]
675 : cholecystitises : ["hole", "titis"]
675 : cholestyramines : ["holes", "amine"]
540 : cholinesterases : ["line", "erase"]
675 : cinematographer : ["nema", "graph"]
729 : cinematographic : ["nema", "graph"]
486 : clandestineness : ["land", "nenes"]
594 : classifications : ["lassi", "cation"]
972 : coenzymatically : ["enzym", "tical"]
648 : comfortableness : ["fort", "lenes"]
567 : commensurations : ["men", "ration"]
594 : commercialistic : ["merc", "alist"]
702 : communistically : ["muni", "tical"]
756 : computerphobias : ["put", "phobia"]
648 : conceivableness : ["once", "lenes"]
567 : concelebrations : ["once", "ration"]
540 : conceptualistic : ["once", "alist"]
540 : conglomerations : ["glom", "ration"]
486 : conglutinations : ["glut", "nation"]
540 : congresspersons : ["res", "person"]
486 : considerateness : ["onside", "ate"]
540 : containerboards : ["tain", "board"]
594 : convertibleness : ["vert", "lenes"]
702 : crashworthiness : ["rash", "thine"]
594 : crotchetinesses : ["rotche", "ness"]
513 : customarinesses : ["stoma", "ness"]
459 : dangerousnesses : ["anger", "ness"]
837 : decarboxylating : ["carbo", "lati"]
810 : decarboxylation : ["carbo", "lati"]
540 : deconcentration : ["once", "ratio"]
540 : deconsecrations : ["cons", "ration"]
621 : dedifferentiate : ["diff", "entia"]
513 : defenestrations : ["fen", "ration"]
513 : delegitimations : ["elegit", "mat"]
567 : delightednesses : ["light", "ness"]
864 : demisemiquavers : ["mise", "quaver"]
810 : denazifications : ["nazi", "cation"]
567 : dialectological : ["alec", "logic"]
486 : diastereoisomer : ["aster", "some"]
648 : dichloroethanes : ["ich", "ethane"]
540 : discontinuances : ["con", "nuance"]
540 : discriminations : ["scrim", "nation"]
486 : disinclinations : ["sin", "nation"]
459 : disintegrations : ["sin", "ration"]
648 : dissatisfactory : ["sati", "factor"]
567 : divertissements : ["vert", "semen"]
675 : dyslogistically : ["slog", "tical"]
567 : eclaircissement : ["lair", "semen"]
486 : educationalists : ["ducat", "alist"]
459 : elaboratenesses : ["labor", "ness"]
459 : emotionlessness : ["motion", "ess"]
756 : encephalographs : ["epha", "graph"]
837 : encephalography : ["epha", "graph"]
675 : enfranchisement : ["franc", "semen"]
621 : epidemiological : ["idem", "logic"]
594 : epistemological : ["piste", "logic"]
540 : epistemologists : ["piste", "gist"]
378 : essentialnesses : ["senti", "ness"]
540 : esterifications : ["rif", "cation"]
594 : eutrophications : ["trop", "cation"]
702 : excrementitious : ["creme", "titi"]
621 : exsanguinations : ["sang", "nation"]
702 : extemporisation : ["tempo", "sati"]
540 : fantastications : ["antas", "cation"]
567 : flibbertigibbet : ["libber", "gib"]
513 : foreordinations : ["ore", "nation"]
567 : fragmentariness : ["ragmen", "rin"]
675 : frightfulnesses : ["right", "ness"]
567 : fundamentalists : ["dame", "alist"]
567 : gentrifications : ["rif", "cation"]
513 : gluconeogeneses : ["cone", "genes"]
513 : gluconeogenesis : ["cone", "genes"]
675 : grotesquenesses : ["rotes", "ness"]
648 : historiographer : ["tori", "graph"]
702 : historiographic : ["tori", "graph"]
432 : houselessnesses : ["ousel", "ness"]
702 : humidifications : ["midi", "cation"]
783 : hypervigilances : ["perv", "lance"]
756 : hypnotherapists : ["not", "rapist"]
567 : identifications : ["dent", "cation"]
459 : illiberalnesses : ["liber", "ness"]
513 : illimitableness : ["limit", "lenes"]
486 : illogicalnesses : ["logic", "ness"]
513 : immaterialities : ["mater", "alit"]
540 : immediatenesses : ["media", "ness"]
459 : inalterableness : ["alter", "lenes"]
459 : inanimatenesses : ["anima", "ness"]
702 : inconsequential : ["cons", "entia"]
567 : inconsiderately : ["cons", "ratel"]
486 : inconsideration : ["cons", "ratio"]
486 : incoordinations : ["coo", "nation"]
567 : incrementalisms : ["creme", "tali"]
513 : incrementalists : ["creme", "alist"]
459 : incuriousnesses : ["curio", "ness"]
567 : indefinableness : ["defi", "lenes"]
486 : indoctrinations : ["doc", "nation"]
540 : indomitableness : ["omit", "lenes"]
648 : inflammableness : ["flam", "lenes"]
513 : instrumentalism : ["strum", "tali"]
459 : instrumentalist : ["strum", "tali"]
540 : instrumentality : ["strum", "tali"]
459 : intolerableness : ["tole", "lenes"]
486 : inviolatenesses : ["viola", "ness"]
459 : irrationalistic : ["ratio", "alist"]
405 : irrationalities : ["ratio", "alit"]
567 : irreconcilables : ["recon", "able"]
729 : kinesthetically : ["nest", "tical"]
648 : lickerishnesses : ["icker", "ness"]
540 : loathsomenesses : ["oaths", "ness"]
621 : magistratically : ["agist", "tical"]
594 : martensitically : ["tens", "tical"]
540 : masterfulnesses : ["aster", "ness"]
621 : mercaptopurines : ["cap", "purine"]
621 : metallographers : ["tall", "raphe"]
702 : methamphetamine : ["eth", "etamin"]
891 : methoxyfluranes : ["ethoxy", "ran"]
729 : methylmercuries : ["ethyl", "curie"]
891 : methylxanthines : ["ethyl", "thine"]
648 : microanalytical : ["roan", "lytic"]
621 : misapplications : ["sap", "cation"]
513 : momentarinesses : ["omenta", "ness"]
486 : monounsaturated : ["nouns", "urate"]
459 : monounsaturates : ["nouns", "urate"]
513 : monumentalities : ["numen", "alit"]
567 : multiplications : ["tip", "cation"]
540 : neurobiological : ["euro", "logic"]
513 : neuroblastomata : ["euro", "stoma"]
783 : neuropsychology : ["euro", "cholo"]
513 : nonbarbiturates : ["barb", "urate"]
486 : nonbelligerents : ["bell", "gerent"]
513 : noncelebrations : ["once", "ration"]
513 : noncooperations : ["coop", "ration"]
594 : nonenforcements : ["one", "cement"]
567 : nonimplications : ["nim", "cation"]
756 : nonphotographic : ["phot", "graph"]
486 : opinionatedness : ["pinion", "ted"]
729 : overextractions : ["ere", "action"]
621 : overmedications : ["med", "cation"]
486 : oversaturations : ["ers", "ration"]
567 : overstimulating : ["verst", "lati"]
540 : overstimulation : ["verst", "lati"]
864 : oxytetracycline : ["tet", "cyclin"]
459 : painterlinesses : ["inter", "ness"]
621 : paragenetically : ["rage", "tical"]
675 : parenthetically : ["rent", "tical"]
648 : parthenocarpies : ["then", "carpi"]
567 : parthenogeneses : ["then", "genes"]
567 : parthenogenesis : ["then", "genes"]
621 : parthenogenetic : ["then", "genet"]
513 : pectinesterases : ["tine", "erase"]
567 : permissibleness : ["miss", "lenes"]
702 : pharmaceuticals : ["harm", "tical"]
729 : pharmacological : ["harm", "logic"]
648 : phenomenalistic : ["nome", "alist"]
675 : photoengravings : ["hot", "raving"]
675 : photoperiodisms : ["tope", "iodism"]
783 : phototelegraphy : ["tote", "graph"]
729 : pithecanthropus : ["theca", "thro"]
648 : planimetrically : ["anime", "call"]
621 : platinocyanides : ["latino", "nide"]
513 : pleasurableness : ["leas", "lenes"]
486 : predestinarians : ["redes", "aria"]
486 : predestinations : ["redes", "nation"]
621 : preestablishing : ["reest", "shin"]
648 : prefabrications : ["ref", "cation"]
594 : preformationist : ["reform", "ion"]
540 : preponderations : ["repo", "ration"]
621 : prepublications : ["rep", "cation"]
513 : presentableness : ["resent", "lenes"]
513 : preterminations : ["rete", "nation"]
594 : prettifications : ["ret", "cation"]
702 : problematically : ["roble", "tical"]
486 : proletarianised : ["role", "anise"]
459 : proletarianises : ["role", "anise"]
675 : proteolytically : ["rote", "tical"]
783 : quantifications : ["anti", "cation"]
729 : rechoreographed : ["chore", "graph"]
621 : recodifications : ["cod", "cation"]
513 : reconcentration : ["once", "ratio"]
513 : reconsecrations : ["cons", "ration"]
486 : reconsideration : ["cons", "ratio"]
459 : redintegrations : ["dint", "ration"]
567 : reductivenesses : ["educt", "ness"]
567 : refrangibleness : ["rang", "lenes"]
513 : regretfulnesses : ["egret", "ness"]
513 : reinvigorations : ["vig", "ration"]
432 : reregistrations : ["egis", "ration"]
567 : respectableness : ["spec", "lenes"]
513 : responsibleness : ["pons", "lenes"]
459 : retroperitoneal : ["trope", "tone"]
540 : retroreflectors : ["ore", "lector"]
594 : rigidifications : ["gid", "cation"]
513 : sacramentalists : ["cram", "alist"]
594 : saponifications : ["apo", "cation"]
810 : saprophytically : ["prop", "tical"]
513 : scintillometers : ["inti", "meter"]
567 : seductivenesses : ["educt", "ness"]
540 : selectivenesses : ["elect", "ness"]
459 : semiterrestrial : ["miter", "stria"]
513 : semitransparent : ["emit", "spare"]
405 : sensationalists : ["sati", "alist"]
459 : sentimentalists : ["time", "alist"]
594 : serviceableness : ["vice", "lenes"]
648 : simplifications : ["imp", "cation"]
594 : slaughterhouses : ["laugh", "house"]
459 : snippersnappers : ["nipper", "napper"]
567 : solidifications : ["lid", "cation"]
594 : solipsistically : ["lips", "tical"]
594 : sophistications : ["phis", "cation"]
540 : spermatogeneses : ["perm", "genes"]
540 : spermatogenesis : ["perm", "genes"]
648 : spinthariscopes : ["pint", "scope"]
567 : sprightlinesses : ["right", "ness"]
540 : stadtholderates : ["tad", "derate"]
864 : straightjackets : ["rai", "jacket"]
540 : stratifications : ["rat", "cation"]
540 : stratovolcanoes : ["rato", "canoe"]
567 : strikebreakings : ["trike", "akin"]
648 : superphenomenon : ["perp", "nomen"]
810 : sympathetically : ["path", "tical"]
351 : tastelessnesses : ["stele", "ness"]
621 : teletypewriters : ["let", "writer"]
567 : thanklessnesses : ["ankle", "ness"]
675 : therapeutically : ["rape", "tical"]
675 : thunderstricken : ["under", "trick"]
432 : toastmistresses : ["oast", "tress"]
432 : traditionalists : ["adit", "alist"]
459 : transaminations : ["ansa", "nation"]
486 : transmigrations : ["ran", "ration"]
621 : trihalomethanes : ["halo", "ethane"]
540 : troubleshooters : ["rouble", "hooter"]
567 : troubleshooting : ["rouble", "hoot"]
513 : troublesomeness : ["rouble", "omen"]
567 : trustworthiness : ["rust", "thine"]
540 : unadulteratedly : ["adult", "rated"]
459 : unalterableness : ["alter", "lenes"]
621 : unanticipatedly : ["antic", "pated"]
513 : unboundednesses : ["bound", "ness"]
729 : unchoreographed : ["chore", "graph"]
459 : uncleanlinesses : ["clean", "ness"]
621 : unclimbableness : ["climb", "lenes"]
702 : uncomplimentary : ["comp", "menta"]
513 : underestimating : ["dere", "matin"]
486 : unearthlinesses : ["earth", "ness"]
702 : unextraordinary : ["extra", "dinar"]
621 : unfavorableness : ["favor", "lenes"]
486 : unguardednesses : ["guard", "ness"]
540 : unrealistically : ["real", "tical"]
513 : unsightlinesses : ["sight", "ness"]
513 : unworldlinesses : ["world", "ness"]
837 : wappenschawings : ["pens", "hawing"]
540 : warrantableness : ["arrant", "lenes"]
486 : westernisations : ["ester", "sati"]
810 : whatchamacallit : ["hatch", "call"]
621 : whippersnappers : ["hipper", "napper"]
621 : wholesomenesses : ["holes", "ness"]
540 : worrisomenesses : ["orris", "ness"]
864 : xeroradiography : ["orad", "graph"]

Nine letter word riddle

It's not too common that I get forwards nowadays. With the advent of social news, all the stupid links have migrated there. But on occasion, I'll get one from the older crowd. This one was a riddle with a movie of the answer attached.

What common English word is 9 letters long, and each time you remove a letter from it, it still remains an English word... from 9 letters all the way down to a single remaining letter?

It was only one answer, however, which it gave as "startling". I ended up wondering if there were more than one, so I wanted to see how fast I could write something to give me the answer. It'd be good practice, since most web programming is design and architectural hard, rather than algorithms hard. Besides, it's been a while since I wrote a recursive function.

Embarrasingly, it took 2.5-3 hours. I thought I'd be able to knock it out in one. I had some problems first removing a single letter from a word. Ever since I came to Ruby, I hardly ever deal with indicies, so finding those methods took a bit of time. Then, the recursion is always a bit of a mind bender when you don't do it often.

I also spent some time looking up what were considered one letter words, but then found out that there's a whole dictionary of one letter words. So I only considered "i" and "a" as valid one letter words. I also threw out all contractions.

See if you can write shorter/faster/better code. It's certainly a better workout than fizzbuzz. Seeing how it took me a bit, and I didn't clean up the code, I set the bar pretty low to beat. There were other things that would optimize it. I didn't throw out shorter words to check in the dictionary if I already checked them in a longer word--ie. I just ran down the list of dictionary words. Try it out yourself, in whatever language. (This sounds like a good beginning problem to write in Arc.) Go ahead. I'll wait.


Got it?


Here's the list I came up with along with their chains. You'll notice that it's actually a tree that branches.

cleansers
[["cleanses", ["cleanse", ["cleans", ["clean", ["clan", ["can", ["an", ["a"]]]], ["lean", ["lea", ["la", ["a"]]]]], ["clans", ["clan", ["can", ["an", ["a"]]]], ["cans", ["can", ["an", ["a"]]]]], ["leans", ["lean", ["lea", ["la", ["a"]]]], ["leas", ["lea", ["la", ["a"]]]]]]]], ["cleanser", ["cleanse", ["cleans", ["clean", ["clan", ["can", ["an", ["a"]]]], ["lean", ["lea", ["la", ["a"]]]]], ["clans", ["clan", ["can", ["an", ["a"]]]], ["cans", ["can", ["an", ["a"]]]]], ["leans", ["lean", ["lea", ["la", ["a"]]]], ["leas", ["lea", ["la", ["a"]]]]]]]]]

discusses
[["discuses", ["discuss", ["discus", ["discs", ["disc", ["dis", ["is", ["i"]]]], ["diss", ["dis", ["is", ["i"]]]]]]]]]

drownings
[["drowning", ["downing", ["owning", ["owing", ["wing", ["win", ["in", ["i"]]]]]]]]]

paintings
[["painting", ["paining", ["pining", ["piing", ["ping", ["pin", ["pi", ["i"]], ["in", ["i"]]], ["pig", ["pi", ["i"]]]]]]]]]

piercings
[["piercing", ["piecing", ["pieing", ["piing", ["ping", ["pin", ["pi", ["i"]], ["in", ["i"]]], ["pig", ["pi", ["i"]]]]]]]]]

prickling
[["pickling", ["picking", ["piking", ["piing", ["ping", ["pin", ["pi", ["i"]], ["in", ["i"]]], ["pig", ["pi", ["i"]]]]]]]], ["pricking", ["picking", ["piking", ["piing", ["ping", ["pin", ["pi", ["i"]], ["in", ["i"]]], ["pig", ["pi", ["i"]]]]]]]]]

restarted
[["restated", ["restate", ["estate", ["state", ["sate", ["sat", ["at", ["a"]]], ["ate", ["at", ["a"]]]]]]]]]

scrapping
[["crapping", ["rapping", ["raping", ["aping", ["ping", ["pin", ["pi", ["i"]], ["in", ["i"]]], ["pig", ["pi", ["i"]]]]]]]]]

sparkling
[["sparking", ["sparing", ["spring", ["sprig", ["prig", ["pig", ["pi", ["i"]]]]]]]]]

splatters
[["platters", ["platter", ["latter", ["later", ["late", ["ate", ["at", ["a"]]]]]]]], ["splatter", ["platter", ["latter", ["later", ["late", ["ate", ["at", ["a"]]]]]]]]]

splitting
[["slitting", ["sitting", ["siting", ["sting", ["sing", ["sin", ["in", ["i"]]]], ["ting", ["tin", ["ti", ["i"]], ["in", ["i"]]]]]]]], ["spitting", ["spiting", ["siting", ["sting", ["sing", ["sin", ["in", ["i"]]]], ["ting", ["tin", ["ti", ["i"]], ["in", ["i"]]]]]]], ["sitting", ["siting", ["sting", ["sing", ["sin", ["in", ["i"]]]], ["ting", ["tin", ["ti", ["i"]], ["in", ["i"]]]]]]]]]

stampeded
[["stampede", ["stamped", ["tamped", ["tamed", ["tame", ["tam", ["am", ["a"]]]]]]]]]

stampedes
[["stampede", ["stamped", ["tamped", ["tamed", ["tame", ["tam", ["am", ["a"]]]]]]]]]

startling
[["starling", ["staring", ["string", ["sting", ["sing", ["sin", ["in", ["i"]]]], ["ting", ["tin", ["ti", ["i"]], ["in", ["i"]]]]]]]], ["starting", ["staring", ["string", ["sting", ["sing", ["sin", ["in", ["i"]]]], ["ting", ["tin", ["ti", ["i"]], ["in", ["i"]]]]]]], ["stating", ["sating", ["sting", ["sing", ["sin", ["in", ["i"]]]], ["ting", ["tin", ["ti", ["i"]], ["in", ["i"]]]]]]]]]

starvings
[["starving", ["staring", ["string", ["sting", ["sing", ["sin", ["in", ["i"]]]], ["ting", ["tin", ["ti", ["i"]], ["in", ["i"]]]]]]]]]

strapping
[["trapping", ["tapping", ["taping", ["aping", ["ping", ["pin", ["pi", ["i"]], ["in", ["i"]]], ["pig", ["pi", ["i"]]]]]]], ["rapping", ["raping", ["aping", ["ping", ["pin", ["pi", ["i"]], ["in", ["i"]]], ["pig", ["pi", ["i"]]]]]]]]]

stringers
[["stingers", ["stinger", ["singer", ["singe", ["sing", ["sin", ["in", ["i"]]]], ["sine", ["sin", ["in", ["i"]]]]]]], ["singers", ["singer", ["singe", ["sing", ["sin", ["in", ["i"]]]], ["sine", ["sin", ["in", ["i"]]]]]], ["singes", ["singe", ["sing", ["sin", ["in", ["i"]]]], ["sine", ["sin", ["in", ["i"]]]]], ["sings", ["sing", ["sin", ["in", ["i"]]]], ["sins", ["sin", ["in", ["i"]]], ["sis", ["is", ["i"]]], ["ins", ["in", ["i"]], ["is", ["i"]]]]]]]], ["stringer", ["stinger", ["singer", ["singe", ["sing", ["sin", ["in", ["i"]]]], ["sine", ["sin", ["in", ["i"]]]]]]]]]

stringier
[["stingier", ["stinger", ["singer", ["singe", ["sing", ["sin", ["in", ["i"]]]], ["sine", ["sin", ["in", ["i"]]]]]]]], ["stringer", ["stinger", ["singer", ["singe", ["sing", ["sin", ["in", ["i"]]]], ["sine", ["sin", ["in", ["i"]]]]]]]]]

trampling
[["tramping", ["tamping", ["taping", ["aping", ["ping", ["pin", ["pi", ["i"]], ["in", ["i"]]], ["pig", ["pi", ["i"]]]]]], ["amping", ["aping", ["ping", ["pin", ["pi", ["i"]], ["in", ["i"]]], ["pig", ["pi", ["i"]]]]]]]]]

trappings
[["trapping", ["tapping", ["taping", ["aping", ["ping", ["pin", ["pi", ["i"]], ["in", ["i"]]], ["pig", ["pi", ["i"]]]]]]], ["rapping", ["raping", ["aping", ["ping", ["pin", ["pi", ["i"]], ["in", ["i"]]], ["pig", ["pi", ["i"]]]]]]]]]

whittlers
[["whittler", ["whitter", ["whiter", ["white", ["whit", ["wit", ["it", ["i"]]], ["hit", ["hi", ["i"]], ["it", ["i"]]]], ["wite", ["wit", ["it", ["i"]]]]]]]]]

wrappings
[["wrapping", ["rapping", ["raping", ["aping", ["ping", ["pin", ["pi", ["i"]], ["in", ["i"]]], ["pig", ["pi", ["i"]]]]]]]]]


And here's my code:

#!/usr/bin/ruby

class Array
  def one_less
    total = [self[1..-1]]
    self.each_with_index do |e, i|
      total << self.values_at(0..i, (i+2)..-1)
    end
    return total[0..-2]
  end
end

def sub_words(word)
  result = word.split("").one_less.map { |word_array| word_array.join }.uniq
  result == [""] ? [] : result
end

def find_sub_word_chain(word)
  return nil unless @@dict.include?(word)
  return [word] if word.length == 1 && @@dict.include?(word)
  valid_sub_words = sub_words(word).reject { |w| !@@dict.include?(w) }
  word_chain = valid_sub_words.map do |sub_word|
    chain = find_sub_word_chain(sub_word)
    if chain.nil?
      nil
    else
      if sub_word.length == 1
        chain
      else
        (chain << sub_word).reverse
      end
    end
  end.compact
  word_chain.empty? ? nil : word_chain
end

@@dict = {}
ARGV[0] ||= "/etc/dictionaries-common/words"
words = File.readlines(ARGV[0]).map { |w| w.chomp }
words.each do |word|
  if word.length == 1
    next unless ["a", "i"].include?(word)
  end
  @@dict[word] = word
end

words.reject { |e| e.length != 9 }.reject { |word| word =~ /'/ }.map do |word|
  chain = find_sub_word_chain(word)
  next if chain.nil?
  puts word
  puts chain.inspect
  puts
end