188
TALL
WORDS
DARR
YL
FRANCIS
Hounslow,
Middlesex,
E:lgland
In
L;:tnguage
on
Vacation
(Scribner
1
s,
1965),
D'.nitri
Borgmann
mentions
a
clas
s
of
words
called
'I
narrow
'
!
words.
Narrow
words
are
tho
se
in
which
all
letter
s
are
written
without
any
extensions
(line
s,
loops
or
dots)
either
above
or
below
the
line,
both
in
handwriting
and
10wer-
case
type.
For
example,
Borgmann
instances
OVERNERVOUS-
NESSES
and
OVERNUMEROUSNESSES
as
two
long
narrow
words.
The
existence
of
narrow
words
suggested
to
us
the
possible
exis-
tence
of
"tall!'
words.
Tall
words
are
those
in
which
all
letters
are
written
with
extensions
either
above
or
below
the
line.
In
handwrit-
ing
and
lower-case
type,
the
tall
letters
are
b,
d,
f,
g,
h,
i,
j,
k,
1,
p,
q,
t
and
y.
Can
we
find
words
composed
solely
of
these
letters?
If
so,
what
is
the
longest
such
word?
A
quick
check
of
the
dictionary
(any
dictionary)
will
reveal
a
multitude
of
tall
words
having
six
or
less
letters.
For
the
sake
of
brevity,
we
shall
mention
just
a
few
of
the
comlnoner
tall
words
here.
2 1e
tt
e r
s:
by,
hi,
i
d,
if,
it
3
letters:
bib,
bid,
bit,
did,
dig,
dip,
fib, fig,
fit,
fly,
gig,
git,
gyp,
hid,
hip,
hit,
hyp,
ilk,
ill,
jib,
jig,
kid,
kip,
kit,
lid, lip,
lit,
phi,
pig, pip,
pit,
ply,
thy,
til,
tip,
tit
4
letters:
biff,
bilk,
bill,
fill,
find,
flip,
flit,
gift,
gild,
gill,
glib,
high,
hill, hilt,
idly,
illy,
jill, jilt,
kill,
kilt,
kith,
lift,
lilt,
lily,
pill,
pith,
tidy,
till,
tily,
typy
5
letters:
biddy,
bifid,
billy,
bitty,
digit,
dilly,
ditty,
fifth, fifty,
fight,
filip,
filth,
giddy,
gilly,
glyph,
hilly,
hippy,
idyll,
jiffy,
kiddy,
kitty,
light,
lipid,
lippy,
piggy,
pig1y,
pipit,
pippy,
pithy,
thigh,
tight,
titty
6
letters:
blight,
fillip,
filthy,
finity,
flight,
giggly,
glibly,
highly,
jiggly,
phytyl,
plight,
tibbit,
tipp1y,
titbit
The
interl
words
which'
seven
and
mo
listing.
HerE
7
letters:
bifJ
ligl
8
letters:
bifi
9
letters:
flig
10
letters:
1U
Have
we
r:
would
seem
t(
be10w-the-lin
the
longest
ta
tension.
Perhaps'
iting
various'
CIZING
and
L
row
and
tall
1
than
these.
,
l
Borgmann
~row
words
tensions
(line
s,
.ndwriting
and
V'ERNERVOUS-
)W
words.
lossible
exis-
11
letters
are
In
handwrit-
h,i,j,k,l,
ese
letters?
l
reveal
a
the
sake
of
.11
words
here.
gig,
git,
gyp,
kit,
lid,
lip,
,
gill,
glib,
,
kith,
lift,
'ifth,
fifty,
lippy,
idyll,
pigly,
pipit,
.bly,
highly,
189
The
interested
reader
may
perhaps
care
to
search
for
the
many
words
which
we
have
omitted
from
the
above
listing.
Tall
words
of
seven
and
more
letters
are
much
rarer,
and
deserve
a
complete
listing.
Here
is
the
full
list
of
our
tall
word
finds.
7
letters:
bifidly,
biggity,
blighty,
diglyph,
fifthly,
fittily,
flighty,
lightly,
lithify,
tightly,
tiptilt
8
letters:
bifidity,
filthify,
libidibi,
philippi
9
letter
s:
flightily,
lilipilly
10
letters:
lillypilly
Have
we
missed
any
examples
of
longer
tall
words?
LIBIDIBI
would
seem
to
be
the
longest
tall
word
not
including
a
letter
with
a
below-the-line
extension
of
any
sort.
Similarly,
GYP
seems
to
be
the
longest
tall
word
without
any
letter
having
an
above-the-line
ex-
tension.
Perhaps
Word
Vlays
readers
would
care
to
search
for
words
exhib-
iting
various
patterns
of
tall
and
narrow
letter
s.
For
example,
SINI-
CIZING
and
LUTEINIZING
are
two
w0rds
which
use
alternately
nar-
row
and
tall
letters.
We
feel
that
there
must
be
longer
examples
than
the
se.
Will
some
reader
prove
us
right?
