What are the word records for letter sums (add together positions of letters in alphabet)?
language/english/spelling/alphabetical.order/entire.word/letter.sums New
New entry, edited from material collected for the archive and not yet in a released version.
Problem
What are the word records for letter sums (add together positions of letters in alphabet)? (Spelling / Alphabetical Order / Entire Word) a. highest, for each length b. lowest, for each length c. words with same letter sum, longest well-mixed [M184, 13-25,15-18] d. word with unique letter sum, shortest e. balanced letter sum (average position of letters in alphabet equal to 13.5), longest [M186] f. letter sum divisible by each letter, longest [ Editor: question framed by the editor from the headings of the Taxonomy of Wordplay. ]
Show solution
[ Editor: from the Taxonomy of Wordplay, www.questrel.com, retrieved 28 Oct 2026. Classes (common, uncommon, hyphenated words, phrases), scores, ties (-t) and the source codes in brackets are explained in language/english/word.records.introduction. ]
a. highest, for each length
see list "Word with Highest Letter Sum for Each Length" below
b. lowest, for each length
see list "Word with Lowest Letter Sum for Each Length" below
c. words with same letter sum, longest well-mixed [M184, 13-25,15-18]
common words: authoritativenesses & dichlorodifluoromethane (23)
uncommon words: chlorotrifluoroethylene & floccinaucinihilipilifications (30)
hyphenated words: hystero-salpingo-oophorectomies & supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (34)
phrases: soviet russia ) of the union of soviet socialist repub & pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosises (44)
d. word with unique letter sum, shortest
common words: a (1-t)
common words: b (1-t)
common words: c (1-t)
common words: h (1-t)
uncommon words: overscrupulousnesses (20-t)
uncommon words: polyvinylpyrrolidone (20-t)
hyphenated words: south-southwestwardly (20)
phrases: respiratory syncytial virus (25)
hyphenated phrases: human T-cell lymphotropic virus III (30)
e. balanced letter sum (average position of letters in alphabet equal to 13.5), longest [M186]
common word: vaingloriousnesses (18)
uncommon words: noninstitutionalized, institutionalisation, autotransplantations, cystourethrographies, hydrodesulfurization, intercrystallization, nondestructivenesses, photoautotrophically, proindustrialization, ... and 2 others (20-t)
phrase: quos deus vult perdere prius dementat (32)
f. letter sum divisible by each letter, longest
e.g., CAB = C(3) + A(1) + B(2) = 6, which can be divided by 1, 2 and 3
common word: barbaric (8)
hyphenated word: teeter-tottered (14)
Word with Highest Letter Sum for Each Length
--------------------------------------------
2 common word: zs (45)
uncommon words: xx, wy (48-t)
3 common word: wry (66)
uncommon word: zzz (78)
4 common words: fuzz, toys, vows, your (79-t)
uncommon word: tuzz (93)
hyphenated word: zu-zu (94)
5 common word: wussy (107)
uncommon word: wuzzy (121)
6 common word: syzygy (127)
uncommon word: xystus (128)
7 common word: tryouts (138)
uncommon word: zyzzyva (151)
8 common word: synonymy (150)
uncommon word: zyzzyvas (170)
9 common word: torturous (167)
uncommon word: zorotypus (175)
10 common word: tumultuous (183)
uncommon word: puttyroots (189)
hyphenated word: topsy-turvy (201)
hyphenated word: tuzzy-muzzy (229)
11 common word: trustworthy (207)
12 common word: synonymously (217)
uncommon word: tumultuously (220)
hyphenated word: tuzzy-muzzies (237)
13 common word: untrustworthy (242)
14 common word: presumptuously (241)
uncommon word: untrustworthys (261)
15 common word: trustworthiness (248)
uncommon word: untrustworthily (263)
phrase: statutory trusts (276)
16 common word: presumptuousness (261)
uncommon word: unpresumptuously (276)
17 common word: trustworthinesses (272)
uncommon word: untrustworthiness (283)
phrase: quantity surveyors (289)
18 common word: presumptuousnesses (285)
hyphenated word: post-structuralists (290)
phrase: return to our muttons (307)
19 common word: unconstitutionality (281)
uncommon word: untrustworthinesses (307)
phrase: statutory instrument (312)
20 common word: counterrevolutionary (291)
uncommon word: polyhydroxybutyrates (318)
phrase: statutory instruments (331)
Word with Lowest Letter Sum for Each Length
-------------------------------------------
2 common word: ad (5)
uncommon word: aa (2)
3 common word: baa (4)
4 common word: babe (10)
uncommon words: baba, abba (6-t)
5 common word: baaed (13)
uncommon word: ababa (7)
6 common words: acacia, dabbed (18-t)
uncommon word: bacaba (10)
7 common word: cabbage (21)
uncommon word: cachaca (20)
8 common word: deadhead (32)
uncommon word: fabaceae (24)
9 common word: beachhead (37)
uncommon word: beccaccia (30)
hyphenated word: abba-dabba (16)
10 common word: academical (52)
uncommon words: deadheaded, chachalaca (41-t)
hyphenated word: face-bedded (39)
11 common word: abracadabra (52)
uncommon word: cabbagehead (39)
12 common word: abracadabras (71)
hyphenated word: bibble-babble (56)
ERROR: cabbageheads
13 common word: decaffeinated (83)
uncommon word: anacardiaceae (66)
phrase: bag and baggage (59)
14 common words: megalomaniacal, biogeochemical (107-t)
uncommon word: hamamelidaceae (81)
phrase: heading cabbage (69)
15 common word: unchallengeable (122)
uncommon word: lardizabalaceae (101)
phrase: heading cabbages (88)
hyphenated phrase: bald-headed eagle (76)
16 common words: saccharification, hardheadednesses (139-t)
uncommon word: lactobacillaceae (105)
phrase: acadian chickadee (82)
17 common word: electromechanical (147)
uncommon word: mechanochemicaled (122)
phrase: acadian chickadees (101)
hyphenated phrase: black-backed jackal (93)
18 common word: immunodeficiencies (176)
uncommon words: chlamydomonadaceae, mechanochemicaling (143-t)
phrase: glacial acetic acids (122)
hyphenated phrase: saddle-backed jackal (109)
19 common word: electromagnetically (200)
uncommon word: mechanicochemicaled (134)
phrase: octadecadienoic acid (128)
20 common word: electroencephalogram (196)
uncommon word: chlamydobacteriaceae (154)
phrase: dodecahedral cleavage (136)
hyphenated phrase: black-capped chickadee (123)
-- Taxonomy of Wordplay, www.questrel.com