THE ANONYMOUS LETTER
Credit: GAMES Magazine
March, 1988
R. Wayne Schmittberger

If you replace the question mark in the grid below with a certain letter of the alphabet, you will then be able to form five different eight-letter words, each using the missing letter. The words must be spelled out by moving from letter to adjacent letter either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally (as in the Parker Brothers game Boggle). No square may be used twice in the same word.

There is also a sixth eight-letter word that can be formed without using the missing letter. What letter should replace the question mark, and what are the six words?

R I L I
E LE F
D I ? R
NOVE

Answers:

The missing letter is K, and the five words using K are:

LIFELIKE
OVERKILL
KINDLIER
LIKELIER
REKINDLE

The sixth word is OVERFILL.