this was in the paper this morning and it stumped me:

'Is "turbulence" the longest word in the English language that contains no smaller word ( in the way that "example" contains "am", "amp" and "ample")?

How about "en"? I believe it has something to do with typesetting, although I can't find a reference to it right now. But I did find "en" as in "en route". Which although it has French roots, is used in English, but I don't know if it would qualify because I have never heard it used alone. Any other takers on this word?

Great words Dr. Bill, but the end of each word is "is" and "us" respectively.

Edit: Dr. Bill, I love the way your mind works. Here you are, trying to find a longer word than the one in the example, but I am trying to find the shorter words in the long ones!

does the game preclude words that include a one-letter word "a" or "I"? And if so, is "o" considered a word?

I assume not, for even on that basis the game is hard enough -- as dr. bill and I are discovering!

Even someone as psychotic and braindead as you should be able to come up with a word longer than one letter, Kenny babes. Try doing it without looking in an encyclopedia or a dictionary this time. Or is that the bit you find hard - being original?

An en is the square of of a size of type It is a unit of measure in printing.
a wider letter - like an m or a w - is an em, also a square of type size.
You don't want me to get into "points" and ens and ems, really ...its nothing your gonna use and is used mostly for justifying columns of type and making headlines fit the space available.

Another interesting word numbers/letters/typing thing (how do I define this?!): apparently "stewardesses" is the longest English word you can type with just one hand (on a qwerty keyboard, that is).

There's another one, alas I have forgotten the word, that is the longest word you can type along one line of letters on a qwerty keyboard. Something mundane like "television" (though clearly not that!). Anyone know?

I posted this because my lame brain can't come up with an answer for the turbulence question...thank God for wow!

There you go again, equalizer.

the longest word you can type along one line of letters on a qwerty keyboard. Something mundane like "television"

Worse than that. "Typewriter."

There you go again, equalizer.

Oh, what witty repartee, Kenny babes. You had me reeling there. And was the smiley thrown in to make up for your lack of reply?

You're a blow-hard, Kenny boy. You can only turn it on when you're bullying someone. What a coward. What a loser.

http://wordsmith.org/board/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=wordplay&Number=3338

Scan list down to posts that are headed "longest word" for some wonderful posts!

Is "turbulence" the longest word in the English language that contains no smaller word?

Can't come up with a longer one, but truculence (or truculency) would tie it at 10 letters.

as well covered in this thread 'turbulence' is a bad example, containing as it does 'ule', 'en' and 'ur'. how about a better word, 'praeccocial'.