I can't be the only one that is having trouble in clueing the answer to this puzzle. That's assuming you aren't already having trouble in hearing the distinction between an unvoiced and voiced dental fricative.Q: In English the two-letter combination TH can be pronounced in two different ways: once as in the word "booth," the other as in "smooth." What is the only common English word, other than "smooth," that ends in the letters TH as pronounced in smooth?
Sunday, March 23, 2025
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 23, 2025): TH: Think vs. That
NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 23, 2025): TH: Think vs. That
118 comments:
For NPR puzzle posts, don't post the answer or any hints that could lead to the answer before the deadline (usually Thursday at 3pm ET). If you know the answer, submit it to NPR, but don't give it away here.
You may provide indirect hints to the answer to show you know it, but make sure they don't assist with solving. You can openly discuss your hints and the answer after the deadline. Thank you.
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This seemed too easy; it makes me wonder if I am just wrong or if there is not just one such pronunciation. For the answer I got, if you rearrange the odd letters, you get an inclusive word.
ReplyDeleteThat doesn't fit mine (unless there's some over-my-head meaning of 'inclusive' involved). But if you perform that operation on mine, you get a really appropriate word!
DeleteI think it's entirely possible there's more than one. I wonder what makes Will confident that there is only one.
Rob, I think we have the same answer.
DeleteMe, too. Nice clue, Rob.
DeleteI think I know what word you mean. Mine is simpler and more common. Has the underlined th per Merriam-Webster, also.
DeleteNot a great puzzle this week, IMO.
I now think my answer as described above is not the intended. There is a word that is more common and fits Blaine's clue, whereas my answer described above does not. (I can't claim I figured this out myself; someone else suggested it.)
DeleteI've got two answers, but no clues.
ReplyDeleteBlaine, I bet we could get around the problems if only we were all present in one physical place! I'd like to see how people pronounce various words, actually.
ReplyDeleteI have two words also. Do I send in both or have to choose one?
ReplyDeleteI am hesitating whether or not to wrap my head around solving the puzzle this week.
ReplyDeleteI have two words so far that meet the criteria of the puzzle. However, in both cases, Webster's online dictionary gives two pronunciations--both of the TH pronunciations. It will be interesting to see how this gets handled next week.
ReplyDeleteI have five answers. I'm not going to submit an answer this week. I'm going to submit a paragraph, explaining all of them. A couple of them can be argued that they are not as "common," but they are completely reasonable. More on Thursday or Friday.
DeleteJAWS,
DeleteYou have it right, but have yet to discover one more legit answer word. The intended answer is not as common, to my way of thinking, as the other 3 common words, and the 2 less common are obviously not the intended answer.
My immediate answer, I hate to admit, turned out to be wrong. I am hoping that the correct answer will be noncontroversial.
ReplyDeleteI now have a noncontroversial answer that fits Rob's clue., Not a very satisfying solve this week.
DeleteI have an answer, but it's disputable. I'm always reluctant to go with my first answer in a case like this.
ReplyDeleteI had a feeling there would be some measure of disagreement over pronunciations.
ReplyDeleteAnagram both of my answers together to get a word related to Blaine's "clue" and a description of much of this blog.
ReplyDeleteI do have one, but I'll have to see whether or not it conforms to any of the hints here.
ReplyDeleteI sent in one of my words because it seemed much more common. Besides, for the word LOATH to end in a sound like SMOOTH you have to add an E at the end.
ReplyDeleteNo, look it up. Loath (adj.) can be pronounced with a voiced -th. It's the second pronunciation, but still.
DeleteSo, TMI!
DeleteHow is it TMI Jan? I think you have the wrong word if your so worried.
DeleteI'm with Musinglink. Dictionaries list the valid pronunciations as "voiced" and "unvoiced." There are a number of words where this is true, making this a shit puzzle. It's all going to ride on what they think is most "common."
DeleteI hate to be pedantic, but I think there will be quite a few alternative answers this week. I have one that can be pronounced either way.
ReplyDeleteDr, Awkward, If the word is LOATH VS.LOATHE, I'm LOATH to say I think you're wrong.
DeleteI've found a few whose ordinary spellings end in 'e' but have alternative spellings without the 'e'. But I don't think those count, since the alternative spellings would not be common.
DeleteLotta TMI above!
DeleteI couldn't possibly comment at this stage—but I do have receipts!
DeleteThis puzzle forced me to check my lifelong pronouncing of words.
ReplyDeleteIf it's any consolation (and it isn't), "smooth" used to have an e at the end. And one o. So there, or ereth? Why not, it has a voiced th!
ReplyDeletePalindromically yours, Knilgnisum.
I have *an* answer, but I don't know if it is the one they are going for. I sent it in anyway. :/
ReplyDeleteAh, I see. I checked a certain word in the OED and found that it always ends with θ. But Merriam-Webster does offer the ð ending.
ReplyDeleteYeah that makes sense -- I use only the θ ending for this word but I'm pretty sure I've heard the ð ending used by other Americans.
Although, if I anagram that one along with my own answer, I don't get any word at all, so I think Jan has yet another. Oh and I still don't have the one that Rob clued.
DeleteCrito - I think we may have the same word.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete"There are thirty six thousand feathers in a Thrushes throat. "Repeat 5 times quickly.
ReplyDeletePart of my answer reminds me of custom cars.
ReplyDeleteExcept that, as I commented above, the answer I had is probably not the intended.
DeleteHorrible puzzle. Too much is left to one's own pronunciation and what Dan considers "common". The puzzle and its answer must be explicit and unambiguous.
ReplyDeleteGiven the vagaries of pronunciation, perhaps we should all exercise some discretion in mentioning actual words.
ReplyDeleteI'm just going to wait for Will to give the answer. In the meantime, I feel like I'm developing a lisp. 🤓
ReplyDeleteA lisp is all in the lips.
DeleteWho was the sadist who put the "s" in lisp?
DeleteMeredith Willthon?
DeleteTill There Wuth You. Theventy Thickth Tromboneth...
DeleteRon Howard would love you.
DeleteStephin Merritt formed a band, some time in the 90's, called The Sixths. Their first album was called "Wasps Nests", and their second was "Hyacinths and Thistles".
DeleteHahaha!
DeleteThe puzzle creator’s assertion that there is only one common English word that ends with “th” as pronounced in “smooth” is simply wrong.
ReplyDeleteWell, I have an answer, but I'm gonna wait before I send it in. Hint: It's the second entry and the first pronunciation, according to Webster's 11th. The diacritical symbol for voiced th, in Webster's, is a line under th. That's the first pronunciation for this word.
ReplyDeleteHuh.
ReplyDeleteI just discovered an unexpected answer. It's got the final ð phoneme as its first pronunciation in the OED, for both American and British. Anyway it's quite surprising to me, but I trust dictionaries on questions like this.
Maybe some other Blainesvillains have it -- I don't see any obvious clues to it here. But now I'm not really surprised that Jaws has five answers, and Chuck is most definitely right that Dan Asimov's (and Will's) assertion that there is only one common one is simply wrong.
Oh, as for a clue: I will bet my word is more common than any that anyone else has found, unless someone else has found this one :)
I think that this is the word I have.
DeleteI have one answer which I'm certain is correct, yet I think isn't your answer. I have a second answer that works for me, and I think that may be yours as well. At least that's the story I'm telling myself.
DeleteI think this word is one of several potential answers I have in mind...which may point to issues with the phrasing of the puzzle.
DeleteHm? My common-word pronunciation list gives a unique answer. Btw it also shows a fair number of pairs where adding an E at the end changes θ to ð, e.g. BATH-BATHE, CLOTH-CLOTHE, TEETH-TEETHE.
ReplyDeleteDan Asimov is quite an accomplished academic. Maybe he's related to Isaac Asimov?
ReplyDeleteMy answer is incredibly common but I may very well not have the intended answer, and I would rather not leave a clue for fear of TMI or having an incorrect answer.
ReplyDeleteMy answer is very common. My friend Ruthie came up with the word I did, plus another that fits the assignment, but is less common.
DeleteEasy
ReplyDeleteHi to Dan from another Berkeley resident.
ReplyDeleteThis should be a 2-week challenge.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteArrggg. I found an answer that fits the puzzle in that the first pronunciation in M-W fits, but I fear the alternate pronunciation is more common in the U.S. It does not fit the anagram clues above. I have not submitted as I am not yet married to the answer.
ReplyDeleteIf it's the first pronunciation in M-W, it's pretty likely that it's the most common pronunciation in the US. Merriam-Webster is, after all, a US dictionary!
DeleteAgreed. I submitted it, but still not married to it.
Delete*snorfle* Peace be unto you
DeleteWatson, Crick, and Franklin
ReplyDeleteI solved this one at the kitchen sink.
DeleteSo, the word I came up with is not UNcommon; it's a word everyone on this blog would know, but it's not a word that I find is commonly used in general everyday conversation.
ReplyDeleteCourtney - My word is very common, known to everyone, and is used quite frequently in everyday conversation.
DeleteOkay, then I definitely don't have the same answer. Gotta think on it some more!
DeleteI have 5 common words that work perfectly. I do not understand why some of us, after finding an answer that works, will still look further. I am sometimes one of those who do though.
ReplyDeleteLast week I was watching a King Coleman YouTube video of him restoring an old and rare Coleman lantern. He lives up on Vancouver Island in the country commonly known as Canada, that we are about to invade and conquer. I am certain God will be on our side in this coming war, but I digress.
ReplyDeleteThis guy has numerous YouTube videos where he shows how to restore old Coleman lanterns and stoves, and he knows what he is doing, which some others who have videos do not. Anyway, as he was finishing up restoring this old lantern he said now all he had to do was put on the (blank word here) as he was rotating the lantern on its base. I heard him pronounce the blank word above so that it rhymed perfectly with Dr. Jekyll. Instantly I wondered what in the world he was talking about. I soon found out as I watched him stick on a reproduction decal. You say deck-all, and I say dee-cal, and I say, "Let's call the whole thing off."
I now have 6 words that work.
ReplyDeleteGood thing you're not one of those who look further after finding an answer that works!
Deletejan, I already admitted I am one who sometimes does.
DeleteOf course. Just kidding.
DeleteKidding!? On a serious blog like this! I would never stoop so low as to kid. It is too hard on my knees.
Deletejan, you are right about something else you posted.
DeleteThere are going to be some surprises this coming Sunday. Stay tuned.
ReplyDeleteVery common, but hard to clue. Blaine, if "Fresh Prince" is TMI, take this down.
ReplyDeleteTink of all de languages zat have neigher θ nor ð ! English is tough on wose folks! Can you find a meaningful - albeit useless - English phrase consisting of 2 one-syllable words whose sounds differ only because one has θ where the other has ð ?
ReplyDeleteI think the word that Will is looking is not just common, but short as well. I turned myself towards a web sit that gives examples of how to pronounce words. If I'm wrong, my forehead will the first I slap...no others.
ReplyDeleteI still don't have it, but thinking about this puzzle makes me think of the scene in My Cousin Vinny where Joe Pesci refers to his nephew and friend as "yutes" and the judge is perplexed.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone found more than one word that has the wanted pronunciation and no secondary or alternative pronunciation?
ReplyDeleteLorenzo,
DeleteYes, and I will post more after the deadline, or you may email me for further clarification, I believe you have my email address.
Thanks, my friend. I’ll wait until Thursday and see what I can come up with. So far, I have a couple of words that, to my knowledge, are always pronounced as wanted, but according to Merriam Webster have a second acceptable pronunciation.
DeleteLorenzo,
DeleteI misread your post and now have to say I think all 5, yes, now 5, have 2 pronunciations. It depends on what lexicon is used, as some do not agree with M/W. Dictionaries do not make rules, but simply report usage. For example look at how DECIMATE is now used the total opposite of its original meaning, which is how I think of it.
Well, what do you know?
ReplyDeleteI’m sure I now have the intended answer. Finally.
Out of sheer desperation and a fleeting hope that thinking outside the box might work, I checked the word—could it possibly be that?—in Merriam-Webster online and then confirmed it by consulting my hardcover M-W 9th edition. (I’m assuming it’s the same in the latest Revised Edition, too.)
To my surprise, I’ve been pronouncing it according to the secondary pronunciation--the "th" as in "truth"--all of my life. And I’d wager many of us here have as well. But the primary, preferred pronunciation is indeed the "th" as in "smooth."
Imagine that.
I agree with Nodd that Rob’s answer, which was my first guess, is not the intended answer. Similarly, based on common pronunciations, I also came up with one or two others I thought might work, but M-W's preferred pronunciation in each case was like the “th” in “truth." Only the secondary pronunciation was like the "th" in "smooth."
So, at long last, here's an oblique musical clue: George Harrison.
I came up with a solution quickly yesterday morning, but after reading the early comments, I doubted myself. Now I'm confident again after reading this, Dr. K.
DeleteAnything to alleviate the collective anxiety, Scarlett. And remember: Merriam-Webster is Will's final "authority."
DeleteMy oblique Bible clue: Ruth
DeleteDr. K - How would you answer the question I posted late yesterday?
DeleteNo, Lorenzo, I have not found any such word. They all have a secondary, alternative pronunciation.
DeleteI think I found the same word but I have never ever pronounced it with a voiced th, nor has anyone I know.
DeleteI posed the question because “smooth”, the example in the statement of the puzzle, does not have an alternative pronunciation according to MW. This property, I think, may be why the puzzle states that there is only one valid solution. (If so, I have not yet found it !)
DeleteLorenzo, that's a good point. Perhaps Will should have specified that his intended answer had no alternative pronunciation. In any case I'm sending in the answer I referred to above, which also has the second, alternative "th" pronunciation, but I now acknowledge that it may not be Will's intended answer. It's even entirely possible that despite the reassurance I seem to have provided Scarlett, she and I may nevertheless have different answers. I'm looking forward to what I hope is Will's clarification on Sunday.
DeleteOn variant pronunciations...
ReplyDeleteMerriam-Webster's own guide to their spellings and pronunciations says, "All of the pronunciations recorded in this book can be documented as falling within the range of generally acceptable variation, unless they are accompanied by a restricting usage note or symbol or a regional label." I didn't see anything that indicated that the order in which pronunciations are listed had any significance at all. (Of course, I may have missed something! Big book.)
As far as I'm concerned, any reasonably recent dictionary attestation of an 'accepted' voiced final 'th' should qualify the word as an acceptable answer to this puzzle.
It's clear that it was just a mistake to claim there is only one (other than 'smooth'), but to my mind this mistake makes the puzzle a little more fun! I bet we get some good answers here, including at least one, I'm pretty confident, that's more common than the intended answer. (I have another thought about that common one, which I'll share on Thursday.)
It also occurred to me that pretty nearly every word of English is currently 'mispronounced' by the standards of the days when it first showed up in the language. There are some words that many of us would say are mispronounced by a lot of quite competent American English speakers -- think of Jimmy Carter's pronunciation of 'nuclear'. Oh, and computer people say 'router' to rhyme with 'outer' and probably a lot of non-computer people do too when they're talking about the wifi hardware device; that still sounds wrong to me, because the verb 'to route' in this sense is homophonic with 'root'. But surely when enough of us 'mispronounce' a word, that pronunciation becomes correct. So, uh. Yeah not sure what my point is in this last paragraph, but you see how it's relevant.
IMHO, if a listener submits a puzzle claiming there's only one English word that's the correct answer, it's the job of the Puzzle Mmmaster to make some effort to confirm that.
ReplyDeleteIf he is informed by the NPR staff. He is not a mind reader.
DeleteNo, I believe that Will selects each week's puzzle himself. Given that, it's up to him to verify the claims of the listener who submits the puzzle, before presenting it on air. It's surprising how often we amateurs find valid alternative answers to his puzzle.
DeleteYes, of course he picks the puzzles himself, but he does not see the answer submissions we email to NPR unless someone sends them to him, and I do not believe that is how they usually operate at NPR. I see it as a flaw in the system. They are sloppy. I had to almost beg them to finally send me my pin, and Lego has never received his Scrabble game from them, and there are many other cases like that.
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqkaBEWPH18
ReplyDeletePaul, that was good, but what followed on my computer screen is even better in my humble opinion. I hope this link works:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RP--_Z_fNjE
Until I watched that video link I posted above, and then researched further, I had not heard how Trump apparently stinks to high heaven. I have personally experienced this type of thing involving two persons in my life. The first was a man whose body odor was so repulsive he could stand in the open airplane hanger door of a large building and cause me to feel ill although I was fifty feet away from him. He was a first jump student who I was scheduled to take, but I refused due to the overwhelming smell that really did make me feel sick. The second was after I retired and worked part time at a magic shop and another employee had stomach stench that was beyond what I could tolerate. I know this may sound like hyperbole, but it is not. So I am surprised more has not been reported on our Effluvium In Chief before now. Perhaps he douses with Chanel #2.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis puzzle was a real challenge for me; perhaps it was for all of you too. Looking forward to the big reveal.
ReplyDeleteOh, well, sure -- it's a flaw in the puzzle, and ultimately WS takes responsibility for it, I agree. (In chess puzzles it's called a 'cook', but I don't know why, when there's more than one valid answer, and it's considered ruinous to the puzzle.)
ReplyDeleteI'm just saying it didn't detract from my own enjoyment of it, and indeed the Blainesville discussion has, I believe, been enhanced by this flaw. I'd be quite happy to have a cook once every month or two, if it has such interesting ramifications.
What is the difference between the Russia/Ukraine War and Los Alamos?
ReplyDeleteHere is my puzzle hint for this week:
ReplyDeleteDr. K owns pets that informed me of the intended answer, as did WS himself.
It’s a gift. LOL.
DeleteI thought you would get that. LOL
DeleteI have nothing to contribute to this discussion (I can't even tell whether my submitted answer is one of the half dozen correct ones) other than to say that every time I hear the word "fricative" I think of Daffy Duck.� There is no clue here.
ReplyDeleteYou and me both, Bub. :)
DeleteWell, no one seems to have grabbed onto:
ReplyDeleteWhat is the difference between the Russia/Ukraine War and Los Alamos?
So, Let's try this one:
How does the packaging on a SNICKERS® Chocolate Bar differ from Donald Trump?
One really satisfies?
DeleteNo, Scarlett, they're both Spoonerism jokes I made up.
Delete