-gry puzzle facts for kids

The -gry puzzle is a popular word puzzle that asks for a third English word ending with the letters -gry, besides angry and hungry. The puzzle's exact wording can change a lot. However, there isn't one clear answer because there are no other common English words that end in -gry.

People have different ideas about what the puzzle means. Some think it's a trick, a joke with no real answer. Others believe it's a trick question, or that it's asking for a very rare word. It might also be a changed version of an older puzzle that asked for words containing "gry" (like gryphon).

Many trick answers and unusual words have been suggested. The fact that there's no easy answer has made the puzzle stay popular. It's now one of the most asked word puzzles around!

The puzzle became well-known in 1975, starting in the New York area. It has stayed popular even into the 21st century. There are also similar puzzles, but these usually have clear answers. One famous one is about words ending in -dous, which has been popular since the 1880s.

What are the Answers?

Many different answers have been suggested for the -gry puzzle. Here are some of the main ideas:

• It's a hoax: This means there is no real answer, and the puzzle's goal is just to make people confused or frustrated.
• It's a trick question: The answer depends on the exact words used when someone asks the puzzle.
• It's asking for a rare word: Some people suggest very uncommon words like aggry, meagry, or puggry.
• It's a changed puzzle: The original puzzle might have asked for words that simply contain "gry," not necessarily at the end. In this case, the answer could be gryphon.

People who love word puzzles and words find this topic very interesting. For them, the fun is in the quest – trying to find out where the puzzle came from or making a full list of words ending in -gry.

Recently, a new word, hangry, has become popular. It's a mix of 'hungry' and 'angry' and describes feeling upset because you're hungry. The Oxford Dictionaries added hangry in 2015, and the full Oxford English Dictionary included it in 2018.

Clever Trick Versions

Many versions of the -gry puzzle are actually trick questions. They play with how you hear or read the words.

Spoken Tricks

These versions often work best when someone says them out loud:

• "Agree" version: There are three words in English that end in a "gree" sound. The first two are "angry" and "hungry". If you've listened closely, you'll agree that I've already told you the third one.
  • The answer is "agree".
• "Energy" version: There are three words in the English language that end with the letters 'g', 'r', and 'y'. Two are "hungry" and "angry". The third word is something everyone uses every day. Everyone knows what the third word means. What is the third word?
  • The answer is "energy". The riddle says the word ends in the letters g-r-y, but not in that order. Many words end with "-rgy", and "energy" is something everyone uses daily.
• "I am hungry" version: There are three words in the English language that end in "gry". Two words that end in "gry" are "hungry" and "angry". Everyone knows what the third word means, and everyone uses them every day. If you listened very carefully, I have already stated to you what the third word is. The three words that solve this riddle are...?
  • The answer is the three-word sentence "I am hungry". This version asks for three words that end in "gry", not three separate words each ending in "gry".
• "Beg for mercy" version: Give me three English words, commonly spoken, ending in g-r-y.
  • There are many possible answers, such as "Beg for mercy" or "Bring your money".

Reading Tricks

These versions play with how you read the puzzle:

• "What" version: Angry and hungry are two words in the English language that end in "gry". "What" is the third word. The word is something that everyone uses every day. If you have listened carefully, I have already told you what it is.
  • The answer is "what". The puzzle puts "What" in quotation marks, making it part of the question and also the answer.
• "Three" version: There are three words in the English language that end with "gry". Two of these are "angry" and "hungry". The third word is a very common word, and you use it often. If you have read what I have told you, you will see that I have given you the third word. What is the third word? Think very carefully.
  • The answer is "three", which is the third word in the first sentence of the puzzle itself.

Similar Word Puzzles

There are many other puzzles like the -gry one that use letter groups that are rare in words.

The -dous Puzzle

One of the most famous is the -dous puzzle. This puzzle asks for words ending in -dous. It was very popular in the 1880s. It often listed three common words: tremendous, stupendous, and hazardous. Then it asked for a fourth, rarer word, which was jeopardous.

Over time, the words in this puzzle have changed. Today, jeopardous is considered too rare. Instead, horrendous has taken its place. Sometimes, other words like hybridous have also been accepted. This puzzle is still popular today.

Other Similar Puzzles

• Russian -zo puzzle: There's a Russian puzzle that asks: "There are three words in the Russian language which end in -zo. Two of them are zhelezo (iron) and puzo (belly). What is the third word?" There are other words ending in -zo, but most are very uncommon.
• Words ending in -cion: Common words that end in -cion include coercion, scion, and suspicion.
• Words containing shion: A puzzle similar to the -gry one asks for three words that contain the letters shion. The answer is cushion, fashion, and parishioner.

How to Solve Word Puzzles

The usual way to solve puzzles like these is to use a reverse dictionary. This type of dictionary lists words by their endings instead of their beginnings. You can also search through a regular dictionary.

In the past, people would search manually, which took a long time and could lead to mistakes. Now, with computers, it's much easier! You can use computer tools to search electronic word lists in seconds.

For example, when the -gry puzzle first became popular, the main reverse dictionary didn't have any extra answers for -gry. The most likely answer at the time was meagry, which was found in the Oxford English Dictionary.