RETINA with A - August 15

Everyone knows that RETINA is a great set of letters to have and the commonness of the letters means that it is a group you see on a regular basis. Unfortunately it does not make a 7 letter word if the other letter is an A. However the letters RETINAA when combined with one more letter on the board can make 23 different 8 letter words.

This blog may be a little easy for any expert reading this, so if that is you then your challenge is to stop reading now and see if you can write down all 23 of those words.

For the rest of you, just keep reading and maybe you will learn some new words,

There are 13 different letters that you could find on the board to help you out:

With a B you can make the words ATABRINE and RABATINE

The first is a yellow powder used to treat malaria that you will be more familiar with in the spelling of ATEBRIN, but can also be ATABRIN. The second is a Scottish word for a low collar.

With a C you can make the words CARINATE and CRANIATE

If you have a choice in which of these to play I would definitely recommend the first one. Because it means shaped like the keel of a boat it does not take an S so you may be able to challenge your opponent when they pluralise it. It does take a D for CARINATED though and there is a beautiful word ECARINATE which means not having a keel. Just imagine surprising your opponent by hooking that E at the front.

With a D you can make the words DENTARIA and RAINDATE

The first is a type of plant and the second is an alternative date made in the case of rain.

With a G you can make the word AERATING

With a J you can make the word NAARTJIE.

This is a fruit . I used to think that this was an alternative spelling for a nashi pear. However it is in fact a small, sweet orange like a mandarin. It can also be spelled NARTJIE and NAARTJE.

With an M you can make the words ANIMATER and MARINATE

With an O you can make the word AERATION

With a P you can make the word ANTIRAPE

This cannot be pluralised. It is interesting that the word PAINTER can make one eight letter word with each of the 5 vowels. ANTIRAPE, APERIENT, PAINTIER, ATROPINE and PAINTURE.

ANTISERA, ARTESIAN, RATANIES, RESINATA, SANTERIA or SEATRAIN

You are certainly spoiled for choice if there is an S with 6 possibilities. The first 3 do not take an S as the first is the plural of ANTISERUM. It could also be worth remembering that RATANY (a South American shrub) can be spelled with an H - RHATANY. The last 3 meanings are a Greek wine, a Caribbean religion and a ship that can carry railroad cars.

With a T you can make ATTAINER and REATTAIN

WITH a U you can make INAURATE

This is a verb meaning to cover something with gold.

With a W you can make ANTIWEAR

Describes something that reduces wear and cannot be pluralised.

With a Z you can make the word ATRAZINE

This is a kind of weedkiller.

Happy Scrabbling

Patrick