"UH, WHAT?"
NY Times Crossword
September 16, 2018
Joel Fagliano (adapted)

The following words share a very unusual property. Can you determine what it is?

OREGON
BUYABLE
RIOTING
SENATOR

HINTS:
1. CORONER could be added to the list.
2. The answer involves phonetic pronunciation.
(BIG) HINT:

3. The answer involves syllables.

Answer:

Ignoring spelling, you can drop a syllable from each word to get a new, unrelated word:

OREGON - ORGAN
BUYABLE - BIBLE
RIOTING - ROTTING
SENATOR - CENTER
(CORONER - CORNER)