FOR THESE I LONG

Credit: NY Times Crossword - Mar. 10, 2002

Nelson Hardy

What do the following words have in common?

TRIP

TRICK

MITT

WHIP

KNIT

WIN

SPIN

MISS

HINTS:

#1: The title is a clue.

#2: It has to do with the letter "I" in each word.

Answer:

Changing the vowel sound of the "I" in each word from short to long, and adjusting the spelling, yields new words:

Tripe/trike/might/wipe/night/wine/spine/mice