Matryoshka words

Question

Since it's Friday and others are playing games, here's another one to take us into the weekend.

Everyone knows about those Russian nesting dolls (called matryoshka dolls, I believe). A small doll nests inside a larger, which itself is inside a larger doll, and so on.

This game does the same with words. You start with a three-letter word, add a letter to make another word, and so on. Longest word wins. The catch? Each additional letter has to form a legitimate word.

Here's one to start you off:

bur
burr
burro
burrow
burrows

Good luck.

ShreevatsaR · Accepted Answer · 2011-03-12T06:51:03.363

5

If you're willing to accept the surname "Barrett", the longest I can find (with a program) is 10 letters, "barretters":

bar
barr: to cry as an elephant, abbreviation of "barrister"
barre: (ballet) A handrail fixed to a wall used for ballet exercises.
barret: A kind of military cap
Barrett: A surname (recall Elizabeth Barrett Browning)
barrette: A clasp or clip for gathering and holding the hair.
barretter: A ballast resistor
barretters: plural form of barretter

edited Mar 12 '11 at 06:51

answered Mar 12 '11 at 06:26

ShreevatsaR

27,572

4

starts off sounding like a beach boys song :) – crowne Mar 12 '11 at 15:50
We are feeling generous, so I think we'll allow Barrett. And award the check. – Robusto Apr 16 '11 at 16:09

score 2 · Answer 2 · edited May 02 '12 at 14:21

2

I managed to find only eight.

max
maxi
maxim
maxima
maximal
maximals

edited May 02 '12 at 14:21

RegDwigнt

97,231

answered Mar 12 '11 at 16:27

Alain Pannetier Φ

17,926

About the "niners": Unfortunately, they all involve obscure words and abbreviations, many of which are hard to accept. Anyway, the list: Romanisms Romanists barretter barrettes colonials composers condoners contrasts contrasty marchesas marcheses marineras marshalls modernest tamarinds tamarisks – ShreevatsaR Mar 13 '11 at 07:41

score 2 · Answer 3 · edited May 02 '12 at 14:22

2

Hopefully not breaking the rules here (inserting and prepending allowed):

I
in
sin
sing
sting
string
staring
starling
starlings

edited May 02 '12 at 14:22

RegDwigнt

97,231

answered Dec 16 '11 at 17:53

Mitch

71,423

Nice try, but that does change the rules. If you allow insertions, that opens it up quite a bit. Interesting twist, though. – Robusto Dec 16 '11 at 17:59

score 1 · Answer 4 · answered Mar 12 '11 at 20:27

1

I have 7:

pa
pas
past
paste
pastel and pastels

answered Mar 12 '11 at 20:27

F'x

38,736

score 1 · Answer 5 · answered Mar 16 '11 at 11:33

1

Here's what I have:

Pot
Pots
Spots
Sports
Sprouts
Supports

I'm not sure if you're allowed to rearrange letters like I did in Supports, so here's another one:

Pot
Port
Porte
Porter
Porters
Sporters

answered Mar 16 '11 at 11:33

Tragicomic

5,427

Interesting variation on the game. Opens it up quite a bit. – Robusto Apr 06 '11 at 20:10

score 0 · Answer 6 · answered Mar 12 '11 at 06:22

0

but
butt
butte
butter
butterfly

Do the rules allow for jumping from butter to butterfly?

answered Mar 12 '11 at 06:22

crowne

556

Nice try, but you have to proceed one letter at a time. You could go to buttery next, but not butterfly. – Robusto Mar 12 '11 at 12:09

score 0 · Answer 7 · answered Mar 12 '11 at 16:22

0

cap
cape
caper
capers: the flower buds of the caper plant

answered Mar 12 '11 at 16:22

apaderno

59,185

Matryoshka words

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