There r 3 words in the English language that end in " gry". Angry and Hungry. What is third one?

Question

EveryONE knows what the third ONE means and what it stands for. EveryONE uses them everyday,

Answer 1

The puzzle is essentially this: There are three English words ending in "-gry". Two are "angry" and "hungry". What is the third one?

There is no other common word ending in "-gry", so how did the puzzle come about? It first appeared in print in 1975.

Perhaps the answer to the original version of the puzzle was meagry or aggry (as in "aggry bead"). There are over 100 obsolete words that end in "-gry" (see below), and these two were in use until fairly recently. However, since there is no longer a real answer to this, modern versions of the puzzle have turned from being puzzles to being riddles. There are perhaps as many as a dozen versions in circulation - each with a different answer!


Words Ending in Gry
We shall look at each of eight versions of the "-gry" puzzle, and their answers. (Some of these are discussed by Chris Cole in "Wordplay: A Curious Dictionary of Language Oddities".)
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1. 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 every day. If you have listened carefully, I have already told you what it is.
The answer is language.
It is the third word of "the English language". The question needs to be spoken, otherwise the quotation marks give away the trick. This version apparently originated in 1996.


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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.
The question states that "what" is the third word, then it asks for the third word. Again this version needs to be spoken to be effective.


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3. 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 told you the third one.
The answer is agree.
It is a phonetic version of the riddle, asking for words that end in the sound "gree," but tricks people into thinking about the letters g-r-y by giving the two examples.


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4. 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 question asks for a word ending with the three letters g-r-y, but does not stipulate that they must be in that order.


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5. 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.
The question must be said in such a way that the word "or" sounds like the letter "r". Once more, to be effective it is crucial that this version is spoken rather than printed. This version is first known to have appeared in 1997.


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6. 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. What are the three words that solve this riddle?
The answer is I am hungry.
The question asks for three words that end in "-gry", but does not say that they each must end in "-gry."


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7. There are three words in the English language that end in "-gry." One is "angry" and the other is "hungry." Everyone knows what the third one means and what it stands for. Everyone uses them every day. And if you listened carefully I've given you the third word, what is it?
The answer is three.
It is the third word in the question, and the rest of the question is irrelevant: a red herring designed to put the solver off.


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8. There are only three words in the English language, all adjectives, which end in "-gry." Two are "angry" and "hungry"; the third word describes the state of the world today. What is it?
This is the (presumed) original version of the puzzle from 1975. The possible answers (if obsolete words, names, and hyphenated compounds of "angry" and "hungry" are allowed) are plentiful. Most of the 124 listed below were in the 1933 edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, and all have appeared in some major dictionary of English:


affect-hungry fire-angry MacLoingry Seagry
aggry Gagry mad-angry self-angry
Agry girl-hungry mad-hungry selfe-angry
ahungry gonagry magry sensation-hungry
air-hungry gry malgry sex-angry
anhungry haegry man-hungry sex-hungry
Badagry half-angry managry Shchigry
Ballingry hangry mannagry shiggry
begry heart-angry Margry Shtchigry
bewgry heart-hungry maugry sight-hungry
boroughmongry higry pigry mawgry skugry
bowgry hogry meagry Sygry
braggry hogrymogry meat-hungry Tangry
Bugry hongry menagry Tchangry
Chockpugry hound-hungry messagry Tchigry
Cogry houngry music-hungry tear-angry
cony-gry huggrymuggry nangry th'angry
conyngry hund-hungry overangry tike-hungry
cottagry Hungry Bungry Pelegry Tingry
Croftangry hwngry Pingry toggry
diamond-hungry iggry Podagry ulgry
dog-hungry Jagry Pongry unangry
dogge-hungry job-hungry pottingry vergry
Dshagry kaingry power-hungry Vigry
Dzagry land-hungry profit-hungry vngry
eard-hungry Langry puggry war-hungry
Echanuggry leather-hungry pugry Wigry
Egry ledderhungry red-angry wind-hungry
euer-angry life-hungry rungry yeard-hungry
ever-angry Lisnagry scavengry yird-hungry
fenegry losengry Schtschigry Ymagry


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If all this has left you feeling a little disappointed that there is no proper answer to the words that end in gry puzzle, then have a go at this one:
There are two common words in the English language that end in "-shion". Can you think what they are? (This one isn't a trick question! We promise!)

Answer 2

it's a trick question---Words that End in Gry
Without a doubt the most common question we receive from visitors to Fun-with-words.com is about the famous "-gry" puzzle, so we've decided to put the story of this curious puzzle on the site. Here it is.

The puzzle is essentially this: There are three English words ending in "-gry". Two are "angry" and "hungry". What is the third one?

There is no other common word ending in "-gry", so how did the puzzle come about? It first appeared in print in 1975.

Perhaps the answer to the original version of the puzzle was meagry or aggry (as in "aggry bead"). There are over 100 obsolete words that end in "-gry" (see below), and these two were in use until fairly recently. However, since there is no longer a real answer to this, modern versions of the puzzle have turned from being puzzles to being riddles. There are perhaps as many as a dozen versions in circulation - each with a different answer!

Words Ending in Gry
We shall look at each of eight versions of the "-gry" puzzle, and their answers. (Some of these are discussed by Chris Cole in "Wordplay: A Curious Dictionary of Language Oddities".) 1. 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 every day. If you have listened carefully, I have already told you what it is.

The answer is language.
It is the third word of "the English language". The question needs to be spoken, otherwise the quotation marks give away the trick. This version apparently originated in 1996.
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.
The question states that "what" is the third word, then it asks for the third word. Again this version needs to be spoken to be effective.
3. 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 told you the third one.

The answer is agree.
It is a phonetic version of the riddle, asking for words that end in the sound "gree," but tricks people into thinking about the letters g-r-y by giving the two examples.
4. 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 question asks for a word ending with the three letters g-r-y, but does not stipulate that they must be in that order.
5. 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.
The question must be said in such a way that the word "or" sounds like the letter "r". Once more, to be effective it is crucial that this version is spoken rather than printed. This version is first known to have appeared in 1997.
6. 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. What are the three words that solve this riddle?

The answer is I am hungry.
The question asks for three words that end in "-gry", but does not say that they each must end in "-gry."
7. There are three words in the English language that end in "-gry." One is "angry" and the other is "hungry." Everyone knows what the third one means and what it stands for. Everyone uses them every day. And if you listened carefully I've given you the third word, what is it?

The answer is three.
It is the third word in the question, and the rest of the question is irrelevant: a red herring designed to put the solver off.
8. There are only three words in the English language, all adjectives, which end in "-gry." Two are "angry" and "hungry"; the third word describes the state of the world today. What is it?

This is the (presumed) original version of the puzzle from 1975. The possible answers (if obsolete words, names, and hyphenated compounds of "angry" and "hungry" are allowed) are plentiful. Most of the 124 listed below were in the 1933 edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, and all have appeared in some major dictionary of English:

affect-hungryfire-angryMacLoingrySeagry
aggryGagrymad-angryself-angry
Agrygirl-hungrymad-hungryselfe-angry
ahungrygonagrymagrysensation-hungry
air-hungrygrymalgrysex-angry
anhungryhaegryman-hungrysex-hungry
Badagryhalf-angrymanagryShchigry
Ballingryhangrymannagryshiggry
begryheart-angryMargryShtchigry
bewgryheart-hungrymaugrysight-hungry
boroughmongryhigry pigrymawgryskugry
bowgryhogrymeagrySygry
braggryhogrymogrymeat-hungryTangry
BugryhongrymenagryTchangry
Chockpugryhound-hungrymessagryTchigry
Cogryhoungrymusic-hungrytear-angry
cony-gryhuggrymuggrynangryth'angry
conyngryhund-hungryoverangrytike-hungry
cottagryHungry BungryPelegryTingry
CroftangryhwngryPingrytoggry
diamond-hungryiggryPodagryulgry
dog-hungryJagryPongryunangry
dogge-hungryjob-hungrypottingryvergry
Dshagrykaingrypower-hungryVigry
Dzagryland-hungryprofit-hungryvngry
eard-hungryLangrypuggrywar-hungry
Echanuggryleather-hungrypugryWigry
Egryledderhungryred-angrywind-hungry
euer-angrylife-hungryrungryyeard-hungry
ever-angryLisnagryscavengryyird-hungry
fenegrylosengrySchtschigryYmagry

Answer 3

there are 5..... 3 others besides the ones you mentioned

aggry, a glass bead found buried in the earth in Ghana.
puggry, a light scarf wound around a hat or helmet to protect the head from the sun, and
meagry, of meager appearance

Answer 4

affect-hungry fire-angry MacLoingry Seagry
aggry Gagry mad-angry self-angry
Agry girl-hungry mad-hungry selfe-angry
ahungry gonagry magry sensation-hungry
air-hungry gry malgry sex-angry
anhungry haegry man-hungry sex-hungry
Badagry half-angry managry Shchigry
Ballingry hangry mannagry shiggry
begry heart-angry Margry Shtchigry
bewgry heart-hungry maugry sight-hungry
boroughmongry higry pigry mawgry skugry
bowgry hogry meagry Sygry
braggry hogrymogry meat-hungry Tangry
Bugry hongry menagry Tchangry
Chockpugry hound-hungry messagry Tchigry
Cogry houngry music-hungry tear-angry
cony-gry huggrymuggry nangry th'angry
conyngry hund-hungry overangry tike-hungry
cottagry Hungry Bungry Pelegry Tingry
Croftangry hwngry Pingry toggry
diamond-hungry iggry Podagry ulgry
dog-hungry Jagry Pongry unangry
dogge-hungry job-hungry pottingry vergry
Dshagry kaingry power-hungry Vigry
Dzagry land-hungry profit-hungry vngry
eard-hungry Langry puggry war-hungry
Echanuggry leather-hungry pugry Wigry
Egry ledderhungry red-angry wind-hungry
euer-angry life-hungry rungry yeard-hungry
ever-angry Lisnagry scavengry yird-hungry
fenegry losengry Schtschigry Ymagry

Answer 5

3 words in the english language

1 the

2 english

3 language

so the 3rd is language

Answer 6

very good....and I even googled it !!!!
Also studying sociology at the OU, but feel as though i am about to abandon it !!!

Cant wait for the next one ! regards Al

Answer 7

Now look what you've started! And are we any the wiser, REALLY?

Answer 8

Why are you up so early ?

Answer 9

hmmmmmmm........think u found all the nerds on the net mate!!think they need to get out more!!!...

Answer 10

I don't get it - I mean is it a trick question? I can't think of another word ending in "...gry" off hand.

But................I looked it up and:

(You were never even looking for another word in the first place, were you?)


REFERENCE HOME


Good Gry-f!
How many words end in -gry?


by Glenn Kersten, December 1999
Just when we rejoice that a dagger has finally been driven through its heart, a verbal vampire pops out of its casket when new library staff hear it for the first time. I?m speaking, of course, about the infamous -gry question. How the question is worded does make a difference (more about that later), but here is the usual formulation:

There are three words in the English language that end with the suffix -gry. Two of them are angry and hungry. What is the third?

This is possibly the single most popular question to be asked at SLS Reference Service over the years, and the interest is by no means confined to our region. The STUMPERS-L discussion group on the Internet has recorded the same query from reference librarians all over the country, again and again—and again. We've discussed it several times before (most recently in Points of Reference, February 1995 and May 1996 issues), but we now have new information about this bad penny.

Why waste time writing an essay about a trivia question like this? Because the question is a recurring one for which many reference librarians have duplicated their efforts—often in the wrong direction. It's time to pound the final nails into the coffin.

Taken at face value, the -gry question can be researched like any other. The most widely quoted source for words with the suffix -gry is the Oxford English Dictionary (second edition), which lists six words in addition to angry and hungry: aggry, a glass bead found buried in the soil of Ghana; anhungry, a word used by Shakespeare to mean "not hungry"; meagry, of meager appearance; podagry, gout in the feet; puggry, an alternate spelling for puggree, a light scarf worn around a hat or helmet to protect one's head from the sun; and gry itself, a word meaning variously "the grunt of a pig," "the dirt under a fingernail," "the veriest trifle," or "to rage, roar." Some of these unusual words from the OED may also be found in dictionaries of American English; in particular, Webster's Third International Dictionary of the English Language and Funk & Wagnalls New Standard Dictionary.

Thanks to new technology we can expand the list of words so painstakingly developed from paper sources above. In "The Exchange" column in the Winter 1994 issue of RQ (p. 144), Charles Anderson reports that the new Oxford English Dictionary on CD-ROM permits left-hand truncation, which allows one to search for suffixes and word fragments. Using this feature, several additional words were found: a-hungry, begry, conyngry, higry-pigry, iggry, land-hungry, leather-hungry, man-hungry, mawgry, nangry, skugry, unangry, and yerd-hungry. (It is left as an exercise for the reader to determine the definitions of these unusual words—Ed.) If we use the OED on CD-ROM as our authority, and include angry and hungry, the total number of such words increases to 21.

The Ann Landers booklet Nuggets and Doozies (1991) reprints a column discussing the question. She contacted George Scheetz, director of the Sioux City (Iowa) Public Library, who sent a list of 48 (that's right - 48!) words that end in -gry. Upon examination, though, his list was found to have many place names (e.g., Wigry, a lake in Poland), dialectical spelling variants (e.g., hongry) and obsolete Old English words like meat-hungry and fire-angry. When boiled down, his list offered nothing more than those listed above.

How legitimate are these alternative -gry words? Every one of the words listed above (with the exception of angry and hungry) is considered to be rare, obsolete, or an unusual spelling variant. David Guralnik, editor of Webster's New World Dictionary, states flatly that there are no other "native English words" ending with -gry except for angry and hungry.

Guralnik, by the way, was quoted by William Safire in his 1982 book What's the Good Word? Safire wrote two entertaining pages about the grief caused by searching for -gry words and sums up the question as well as anyone could: "It's a hoax, designed to provoke hours of useless brainracking."

In fact, the -gry question is not so much a riddle as a practical joke. One enterprising reference librarian found an eight-page pamphlet (no copyright date, but from the appearance probably printed in the 1940s) entitled Things to Think About. The booklet was filled with riddles, including the following:

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.

Three! The question has nothing to do with angry, hungry, or any of the many other obscure words that end in -gry, it is a simple question asking you what the third word in the sentence is. As you take tests, remember this.

This may be close to the original form of the riddle, but it has become so muddled over the years that there are several versions, some that offer a twist on the practical joke aspect and others that have completely lost the original joke. Here is another version:

Two words that end in -gry are angry and hungry. There are three words in the English language. What is the third word? It's a common word that everyone knows.

This time the prankster is actually asking us to ignore the first sentence entirely, and concentrate on the phrase "the English language." The third word of that phrase, of course, is the word language. (The groan you hear may be your own.)

One more twist on the basic theme should be mentioned, because it has appeared in the popular Parade Magazine, the Sunday newspaper supplement; consequently, many people have become familiar with it:

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?

When the listener gives up, you explain: "You assumed I said 'G-R-Y,' but in fact I said 'G or Y,' and the word is say." This version was suggested by Charles Wiedemann of Hackettstown, NJ, and published in Marilyn Vos Savant's column in the March 9, 1997, issue of Parade Magazine).

Fortunately, the popularity of the -gry puzzle has lessened since the boom era of 1995-1996, but SLS Reference Service still receives the question from time to time. Since the same question was a fad in 1978 (see our articles in the November and December 1978 issues of Points of Reference), it looks as though reference librarians should prepare for a 17-year cycle. Hmmm, remind you of anything? The next plague should hit reference desks in the year 2012.

There are now several Web pages that show wandering librarians the path to the Holy Gry-l. The most extensive was created by Lois Fundis, a reference librarian from West Virginia. She offers still more gry-st for the mill, including additional versions of the question, quotations from various authorities, and links to other Internet resources.

You can reach this excellent Web page through the Unofficial Stumpers-L Web site (which itself is worth bookmarking for the useful reference question archives). The -gry question is posted with such disturbing regularity here that some members of Stumpers-L announce, "It?s time for my oil change!"


Go to: Unofficial Stumpers-L
http://wombats.areawesome.net/
Click on the button marked "Reference Collection."
Click on the link marked "More about the '-gry' riddle."

For those who want further help with the "serious" interpretation of -gry, here is a Web page of words that end with that suffix. The list was compiled by members of the Usenet group rec.puzzles:

Solution to the Language/English/Spelling/Gry Problem http://einstein.et.tudelft.nl/~arlet/puzzles/sol.cgi/language/
english/spelling/gry

Good gry-f, indeed!

Glenn Kersten is a Research Librarian at the Suburban Library System Reference Service.





Jolene Carlson
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