What is the fewest number of steps (changing one letter at a time, with each step yielding a common English word) in which you can change "HOT" into "AIR" and then "AIR" into "BAG"?

H O T
. . .
. . .
A I R
. . .
. . .
B A G

(In reply to re: Can't touch this ... by DJ)

The minimum number of steps for each transition using COMMON English words is four each. 

Of course, the common words given may be debated how common they are.  How often the word is used is not the limiting factor whether the word is common, but whether the word's usage is obsolete, slang, colloquial, regional or even used by American English speakers. 

AIT, a valid English word, is but US Regional and British English, thus is excluded as a common English word.  HIR is a gender-neutral pronoun that is used almost solely within the transgendered community, or as variant spelling of the obsolete pronoun here, both of which exclude the word as common. By the same token, in the following list, I've not included the Scottish AIN or the slang, dated or informal FAG.

The following, if not complete, is a near complete list for the four step transitions:

hot - hit - fit - fir - air
hot - hit - hid - aid - air
hot - hit - his - ais - air
hot - hit - sit - sir - air
hot - hod - hid - aid - air
hot - sot - sit - sir - air

air - aid - bid - bad - bag
air - aid - bid - big - bag
air - fir - far - bar - bag
air - fir - fig - big - bag

Posted by Dej Mar on 2007-11-18 07:00:17