THE LETTERS ARE THE LAW III
Credit: GAMES Magazine
December, 1998
Francis Heaney

The misspelled words in each group below are misspelled according to a certain pattern. First, see if you can recognize the category to which the words in the group belong. Then scan the group to see if you can discern any kind of pattern to the misspellings. Finally think of another word that would fit the category (but is spelled correctly) AND would provide the law governing the misspellings.

For example, given the group

CUPIHER
HERONHERER
RUHEROLPH
HERANCER,

the category is Santa's reindeer, and all the entries have the letters HER in place of D in their names. The missing member is DASHER - a word which, when split up, provides the law "D as HER" and also fits the category as one of Santa's reindeer. Can you figure out the categories, missing entries, and laws for the groups below?

1)
SANOXAL
WEOXGE
SAOXOXLE
OXECK

2)
WAP
ERETARIAT
ILVER
HAMPION
BUEPHALU

3)
DAUNTHTENT
MOTHENT
NENTHEW
STENTSISTENT

4)
CTEMISTRY
ENGLISY
PTILOSOPYY
PTYSICS

5)
TOWER OF LODO
WASHIGTO MOUMET
ST. PAUL'S CATH  EDRAL
GREAT PYRAMID OF CH  EOPS

Answers:

1)
Category: Shoes
Sandal, wedge, saddle, deck
Missing entry: OXFORD
Law: OX FOR D

2)
Category: Famous horses
Swaps, Secretariat, Silver,
Champion, Bucephalus
Missing member: SCOUT
Law: S,C OUT

3)
Category: Relatives
Daughter, mother, Nephew, Stepsister
Missing entry: GRANDPARENT
Law: G, R, AND P ARE NT

4)
Category: School subjects
Chemistry, English, Philosophy, Physics
Missing entry: HISTORY
Law: H IS T OR Y

5)
Category: Famous structures
Tower of London, Washington Monument,
St. Paul's Cathedral, Great Pyramid of Cheops
Missing entry: PARTHENON
Law: PART HE NO  N