The following array of "*'s" 'masks' four three letter words which are to be read in the usual practice of left to right, and top down.

* * * * * * * *

Now here are some considerations.
1. Letter frequency is not restricted.
2. When all places are filled, all letters are rotated one place (direction is immaterial) around the square. At that point you must still have four three letter words.
3. Common English words are preferred.

(Words borrowed from other languages are acceptable, but try to limit words rarely found in English.)

(In reply to re: A challenge...or a good talking point by brianjn)

I did use a 3-letter-word list in constructing the solutions--two word lists in fact, one alphabetized by first letter and one alphabetized by second letter. The alphabet strings you see were to determine what letter of the alphabet was to be used in getting in to the random access table of words at the start of a given letter's words so as to eliminate searching through the entire list.

Of course any solution to the complete word square would be a solution to the original problem plus the addition of a single letter in the middle.

Looking at the solutions, I see

ado
g n
ode

can have an i placed in the middle to become

ado
gin
ode

Further down I see

ala
pad
ego

ala
gay
ode

ape
sea
her

ape
see
pal

ape
lag
ado

ape
gar
eta

ape
law
aye

ate
sea
her

ate
see
pal

awe
pat
era

aye
dew
one

don
are
yew

god
are
pew

god
are
yew

god
are
lay

hat
age
don

hay
age
don

lek
age
don

she
air
pea

spa
ail
gee

This is ignoring obscure words like gow. Also left out squares with dey, inadvertently included among the original list. Some that are similar to others I left out also.

These don't quite qualify as magic squares in that diagonals don't make words. But they meet Dej Mar's challenge.

Posted by Charlie on 2008-08-10 11:06:04