TRUE/FALSE WORDPLAY
NY Times PUZZLEMANIA (annual special section)
December 15, 2019
Will Shortz

Test your word sense. Below are 6 statements about words and names. Which ones are true and which ones aren't?

1. The letter C does not appear in the name of any integer between one and one billion.

2. "Foot" and "tooth" are the only common English words that are pluralized by changing the two O's ot E's.

3. "Four" is the only integer whose name in English has the same number of letters as the number itself.

4. The most common four-letter word in New York Times crosswords is "area."

5. While many words start with a silent P, like "psychology" and "pseudonym," there are no common English words that end in silent P.

6. Reno is the largest U.S. city with a four-letter name.

Answers:

1. True - the lowest number with a "c" is "octillion."
2. False - goose
3. True
4. True
5. False - coup
6. False - Reno has a population of 250,000. Mesa, Arizona has a population of 500,000.