The -Gry Puzzle is a popular puzzle that asks for the third English word, other than "angry" and "hungry," that ends with the letters "gry." Aside from words derived from "angry" and "hungry," there is no stand-alone word ending in "gry" that is in current usage. Both Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged (Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2002, ISBN 0-87779-201-1) and the Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition (Oxford University Press, 1989, ISBN 0-19-861186-2) contain the phrase "aggry bead." To find a third word ending in "gry" that is not part of a phrase, you must turn to obsolete words or personal or place names. A list of 130 of these is given at the end of this article. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 1888 advertisement for Websters Dictionary Websters Dictionary is a common title given to English language dictionaries in the United States, deriving its name from American lexicographer Noah Webster. ... The Oxford English Dictionary print set The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is a dictionary published by the Oxford University Press (OUP), and is generally regarded as the most comprehensive and scholarly dictionary of the English language. ... The -Gry Puzzle is a popular puzzle that asks for the third English word, other than angry and hungry, that ends with the letters gry. ...

This puzzle has no good answer, yet it has become the most frequently asked word puzzle. The regular readers of the Usenet newsgroup rec.puzzles have coined the word "nugry" to describe a (presumably) new reader who posts a frequently asked question. Usenet (USEr NETwork) is a global, distributed bulletin board system (BBS). ...

History

Merriam-Webster, publishers of the leading American dictionaries, first heard of this puzzle in a letter dated March 17, 1975, from Patricia Lasker of Brooklyn, New York. Lasker says her Plant Manager heard the question on a quiz show. Since that time Merriam-Webster has received about four letters per year asking the question. Merriam-Webster, originally known as the G. & C. Merriam Company of Springfield, Massachusetts, is a United States company that publishes reference books, especially dictionaries that are descendants of Noah Websters An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). ... March 17 is the 76th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (77th in leap years). ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... For other meanings, see Brooklyn (disambiguation). ... Quiz Show is a 1994 film which tells the true story of the Twenty One quiz show scandal of the 1950s. ...

This puzzle first appears in print in Anita Richterman's "Problem Line" column in Newsday on April 29, 1975. One "M.Z." from Wantagh states that the problem was asked on a TV quiz program. Richterman states that she asked a learned professor of English for help when she first received the inquiry, and he did not respond for over a month. So the quiz show probably occurred in March. April 29 is the 119th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (120th in leap years). ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ...

In Anita Richterman's column on May 9, 1975, several correspondents reported that they had heard the puzzle on the Bob Grant radio talk show on WMCA in New York City. However, as this is not a TV quiz show, this may not be the origin of the puzzle. The majority of readers gave the answer "gry," one of the obsolete words listed at the end of this article. It is unclear whether this was the answer given on the Grant show. May 9 is the 129th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (130th in leap years). ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Bob Grant Bob Grant (born Robert Gigante in 1929) is an American radio personality, who has mostly broadcast from New York City stations and who has been widely credited with being one of the pioneers of the controversial talk radio show format. ... WMCA, 570 AM, is a radio station in New York City. ... The -Gry Puzzle is a popular puzzle that asks for the third English word, other than angry and hungry, that ends with the letters gry. ...

Ralph G. Beaman in the "Kickshaws" column in Word Ways for February 1976 reports that the Delaware Valley was mystified during the Fall of 1975 by the question. By this time the puzzle seems to have mutated to a form in which the missing word is an adjective that describes the state of the world.

However, some people remember a different version of this puzzle dating it back before 1975. For example, someone named "Rush Elkins" emailed the editors of yourDictionary with this report:

I first heard the "gry" riddle posed in slightly different form in 1969 or 1970. I was then in graduate school at University of Florida and in the habit of meeting with a group of friends every Wednesday evening for dinner, drinks, and conversation. One of those evenings, someone challenged the group to find three common English words containing the letter combination "gry." I'm sure that there was no stipulation on the placement of "gry" because I recall someone suggesting that it might occur at the boundary of a compound word. (That turns out to lead nowhere.)

A year or two later, I encountered the word "gryphon" in a book, had one of those aha! experiences, and presented my find at the next meeting as a sort of trophy. Although not exactly an everyday sort of word, "gryphon" appears in most dictionaries and is understood by most literate English readers.

If these memories are accurate, then perhaps in 1975 a subtle flaw was introduced into an otherwise commonplace word puzzle. Instead of asking for three words that contain "gry," the flawed version asks for three words that end in "gry." Presumably the person who asked the question did not know the answer and, in repeating the question, simply misstated it. Since the flawed version has no good answer, an explosion of searching followed.

Alternate versions

Trick versions

1. This version only works when spoken: There are three words in English that end in "gree." The first two are "angry" and "hungry," and if you've listened closely, you'll agree that I've already told you the third one.
   • The answer is "agree."
2. There are three words in the English language that end in the letters g-r-y. Two are "hungry" and "angry." Everyone knows what the third word means, and everyone uses it every day. What is the third word?
   • The answer is "energy." The riddle says that the word ends in the letters g-r-y; it says nothing about the order of the letters.
3. The Ask Marilyn column in Parade magazine on March 9, 1997 featured this spoken version: There are at least three words in the English language that end in g or y. One of them is "hungry," and another one is "angry." There is a third word, a short one, which you probably say every day. If you are listening carefully to everything I say, you just heard me say it three times. What is it?
   • The answer is "say." This version depends upon the listener confusing the spoken word "or" and the spoken letter r.
4. 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 words each of which end in "gry."
5. This version is a play on the use-mention ambiguity exploited by other versions: I know two words that end in "gry." Neither one is angry or hungry. What are they?
   • The answer is "angry" and "hungry." Since these are words, they are not angry or hungry.
6. Here is a version invented by Frank Rubin on December 4, 2003: Give me 3 English words, commonly spoken, ending in g-r-y.
   • There are many possible answers, such as "Beg for mercy," or "Bring your money."
7. There are three words in the English language that end g-r-y. One is "angry," another is "hungry." The third word is something that "everyone" uses. If you have listened carefully, I have already told you what it is.
   • The answer is "every," and the logic is as follows: There are three words, ending g, r and y. The first is "fuming," ending in g and meaning angry. The second is "eager," ending in r and meaning hungry. The third is "every," ending in y and clearly something that the word "everyone" uses.

Marilyn Vos Savant (born August 11, 1946) is an American magazine columnist, author, lecturer, and playwright who rose to fame through her listing in the Guinness Book of World Records under Highest IQ. Since 1986 she has written Ask Marilyn, a Sunday column in Parade magazine in which she answers... PARADE is a magazine, distributed as a Sunday supplement in hundreds of newspapers in the United States. ... March 9 is the 68th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (69th in Leap years). ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 4 is the 338th day of the year (339th on leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Meta-puzzle versions

The remaining versions are a form of meta-puzzle, in the sense that they make no use of the actual letters "gry" themselves, which therefore are a red herring. The red herring only works because there is another puzzle that does use these letters (even though that puzzle has no good answer). It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Red herring (disambiguation). ...

1. On March 28, 1996, one such version was broadcast on WHTZ in New York City during "The Elvis Duran Afternoon Show." The person asking the question was a caller who worked in a beauty salon at a mall somewhere in NJ: Think of words ending in "gry." Angry and hungry are two of them. There are only three words in "the English language." What is the third word? The word is something that everyone uses everyday. If you have listened carefully, I have already told you what it is.
   • The answer to this version is "language" -- the third word in the phrase "the English language." There are quotation marks needed to make this answer correct when the puzzle is printed, but they give away the trick.
2. 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 everyday. If you have listened carefully, I have already told you what it is.
   • The answer is "what." But again, the quotation marks spoil the puzzle when it is printed.
3. 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," the third word in the paragraph. The rest of the paragraph is a red herring.
4. This version is usually stated with the word "one" capitalized, which is a hint at the solution: There are three words in the English language that end in "gry." The first ONE is "hungry," the second is "angry," and the third everyONE uses everyday. If you have read this carefully I have given a clue.
   • The answer is supposedly "one," which is the third "one." Probably because this answer does not make much sense, this version has a variant which contains more instances of the capitalized word "one." The idea is that the capitalized "one" is a hint for the letter a, which when prefixed to the sound "gree" yields the answer word "agree."

March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (88th in leap years). ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

List of -gry words

Obsolete words, compound words, and names ending in gry

• affect-hungry [OED (see "sado-masochism")]
• aggry [OED:1:182; W2; W3]
• Agry [OED (see "snappily")]
• Agry Dagh (Mount Agry) [EB11]
• ahungry [OED:1:194; FW; W2]
• air-hungry [OED (see "Tel Avivian")]
• angry [OED; FW; W2; W3]
• anhungry [OED:1:332; W2]
• Badagry [Johnston; EB11; OED (see "Dahoman")]
• Ballingry [Bartholomew:40; CLG:151; RD:164, pl.49]
• begry [OED:1:770,767]
• bewgry [OED:1:1160]
• boroughmongry [OED (see "boroughmonger")]
• bowgry [OED:1:1160]
• braggry [OED:1:1047]
• Bugry [TIG]
• Chockpugry [Worcester]
• Cogry [BBC]
• cony-gry [OED:2:956]
• conyngry [OED:2:956]
• cottagry [OED (see "cottagery")]
• Croftangry [DFC, as "Chrystal Croftangry"; OED (see "way")]
• diamond-hungry [OED (see "Lorelei")]
• dog-hungry [W2]
• dogge-hungry [OED (see "canine")]
• Dshagry [Stieler]
• Dzagry [Andree]
• eard-hungry [CED (see "yird"); CSD]
• Echanuggry [Century:103-104, on inset map, Key 104 M 2]
• Egry [France; TIG]
• euer-angry [OED (see "ever")]
• ever-angry [W2]
• fenegry [OED (see "fenugreek")]
• fire-angry [W2]
• Gagry [EB11]
• girl-hungry [OED (see "girl")]
• gonagry [OED (see "gonagra")]
• gry (from Latin _gry_) [OED:4/2:475; W2]
• gry (from Romany _grai_) [W2]
• haegry [EDD (see "hagery")]
• half-angry [W2]
• hangry [OED:1:329]
• heart-angry [W2]
• heart-hungry [W2]
• higry pigry [OED:5/1:285]
• hogry [EDD (see "huggerie"); CSD]
• hogrymogry [EDD (see "huggerie"); CSD (as "hogry-mogry")]
• hongry [OED:5/1:459; EDD:3:282]
• hound-hungry [OED (see "hound")]
• houngry [OED (see "minx")]
• huggrymuggry [EDD (see "huggerie"); CSD (as "huggry-muggry")]
• hund-hungry [OED (see "hound")]
• hungry [OED; FW; W2; W3]
• Hungry Bungry [Daily Illini, in ad for The Giraffe, Spring 1976]
• hwngry [OED (see "quart")]
• iggry [OED]
• Jagry [EB11]
• job-hungry [OED (see "gadget")]
• kaingry [EDD (see "caingy")]
• land-hungry [OED; W2]
• Langry [TIG; Times]
• leather-hungry [OED]
• ledderhungry [OED (see "leather")]
• life-hungry [OED (see "music")]
• Lisnagry [Bartholomew:489]
• losengry [OED (see "losengery")]
• MacLoingry [Phillips (as "Flaithbhertach MacLoingry")]
• mad-angry [OED:6/2:14]
• mad-hungry [OED:6/2:14]
• magry [OED:6/2:36, 6/2:247-48]
• malgry [OED:6/2:247]
• man-hungry [OED]
• managry [OED (see "managery")]
• mannagry [OED (see "managery")]
• Margry [Indians (see "Pierre Margry" in bibliog., v.2, p.1204)]
• maugry [OED:6/2:247-48]
• mawgry [OED:6/2:247]
• meagry [OED:6/2:267]
• meat-hungry [W2; OED (see "meat")]
• menagry [OED (see "managery")]
• messagry [OED]
• music-hungry [OED (see "music")]
• nangry [OED]
• overangry [RH1; RH2]
• Pelegry [CE (in main index as "Raymond de Pelegry")]
• Pingry [Bio-Base; HPS:293-94, 120-21]
• Podagry [OED; W2 (below the line)]
• Pongry [Andree (Supplement, p.572)]
• pottingry [OED:7/2:1195; Jamieson:3:532]
• power-hungry [OED (see "power")]
• profit-hungry [OED (see "profit")]
• puggry [OED:8/1:1573; FW; W2]
• pugry [OED:8/1:1574]
• red-angry [OED (see "sanguineous")]
• rungry [EDD:5:188]
• scavengry [OED (in 1715 quote under "scavengery")]
• Schtschigry [LG/1:2045; OSN:97]
• Seagry [TIG; EB11]
• Segry [Johnston; Andree]
• self-angry [W2]
• selfe-angry [OED (see "self-")]
• sensation-hungry [OED (see "sensation")]
• sex-angry [OED (see "sex")]
• sex-hungry [OED (see "cave")]
• Shchigry [CLG:1747; Johnson:594; OSN:97,206; Times:185,pl.45]
• shiggry [EDD]
• Shtchigry [LG/1:2045; LG/2:1701]
• Shtshigry [Lipp]
• sight-hungry [OED (see "sight")]
• skugry [OED:9/2:156, 9/1:297; Jamieson:4:266]
• Sygry [Andree]
• Tangry [France]
• Tchangry [Johnson:594; LG/1:435,1117]
• Tchigry [Johnson:594]
• tear-angry [W2]
• th'angry [OED (see "shot-free")]
• tike-hungry [CSD]
• Tingry [France; EB11 (under "Princesse de Tingry"); OED (see "parquet")]
• toggry [Simmonds (as "Toggry", but all entries are capitalized)]
• ulgry [Partridge; Smith:24-25]
• unangry [OED; W2]
• vergry [OED:12/1:123]
• Vigry [CLG:2090]
• vngry [OED (see "wretch")]
• war-hungry [OED (see "war")]
• Wigry [CLG:2090; NAP:xxxix; Times:220, pl.62; WA:948]
• wind-hungry [W2]
• yeard-hungry [CED (see "yird")]
• yerd-hungry [CED (see "yird"); OED]
• yird-hungry [CED (see "yird")]
• Ymagry [OED:1:1009 (col. 3, 1st "boss" verb), (variant of "imagery")]

References

• Ralph G. Beaman, Kickshaws, Word Ways 9:1 (Feb. 1976) p. 43
• George H. Scheetz, In Goodly Gree: With Goodwill, Word Ways 22:4 (Nov. 1989)
• Murray R. Pearce, Who's Flaithbhertach MacLoingry?, Word Ways 23:1 (Feb. 1990)
• Harry B. Partridge, Gypsy Hobby Gry, Word Ways 23:1 (Feb. 1990)
• A. Ross Eckler, -Gry Words in the OED, Word Ways 25:4 (Nov. 1992)
• Darryl Francis, Some New -Gry Words, Word Ways 30:3 (Aug. 1997)

Word Ways: The Journal of Recreational Linguistics is the journal of record for logologists. ...

Original sources

• Andree, Richard. Andrees Handatlas (index volume). 1925.
• Bartholomew, John. Gazetteer of the British Isles: Statistical and Topographical. 1887.
• BBC = BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of English Names.
• Bio-Base. (Microfiche) Detroit: Gale Research Company. 1980.
• CE = Catholic Encyclopedia. 1907.
• CED = Chambers English Dictionary. 1988.
• Century = "India, Northern Part." The Century Atlas of the World. 1897, 1898.
• CLG = The Colombia Lippincott Gazetteer of the World. L.E.Seltzer, ed. 1952.
• CSD = Chambers Scots Dictionary. 1971 reprint of 1911 edition.
• Daily Illini (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign).
• DFC = Dictionary of Fictional Characters. 1963.
• EB11 = Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed.
• EDD = The English Dialect Dictionary. Joseph Wright, ed. 1898.
• France = Map Index of France. G.H.Q. American Expeditionary Forces. 1918.
• FW = Funk & Wagnalls New Standard Dictionary of the English Language. 1943.
• HPS = The Handbook of Private Schools: An Annual Descriptive Survey of Independent Education, 66th ed. 1985.
• Indians = Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico. F. W. Hodge. 1912.
• Jamieson, John. An Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language. 1879-87.
• Johnston, Keith. Index Geographicus... 1864.
• LG/1 = Lippincott's Gazetteer of the World: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer or Geographical Dictionary of the World. 1888.
• LG/2 = Lippincott's New Gazetteer: ... 1906.
• Lipp = Lippincott's Pronouncing Gazetteer of the World. 1861, undated edition from late 1800's; 1902.
• NAP = Narodowy Atlas Polski. 1973-1978 [Polish language]
• OED = The Oxford English Dictionary. 1933. [Form: OED:volume/part number if applicable:page]
• OSN: U.S.S.R. Volume 6, S-T. Official Standard Names Approved by the United States Board on Geographic Names. Gazetteer #42, 2nd ed. June 1970.
• Partridge, Harry B. "Ad Memoriam Demetrii." Word Ways, 19 (Aug. 1986): 131.
• Phillips, Lawrence. Dictionary of Biographical Reference. 1889.
• RD = The Reader's Digest Complete Atlas of the British Isles, 1st ed. 1965.
• RH1 = Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged. 1966.
• RH2 = Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Second Edition Unabridged. 1987.
• Simmonds, P.L. Commercial Dictionary of Trade Products. 1883.
• Smith, John. The True Travels, Adventvres and Observations: London 1630.
• Stieler, Adolph. Stieler's Handatlas (index volume). 1925.
• TIG = The Times Index-Gazetteer of the World. 1965.
• Times = The Times Atlas of the World, 7th ed. 1985.
• W2 = Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language, Second Edition, Unabridged. 1934.
• W3 = Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged. 1961.
• WA = The World Atlas: Index-Gazetteer. Council of Ministries of the USSR, 1968.
• Worcester, J.E. Universal Gazetteer, Second Edition. 1823.