If plurals are allowed, how many words of four or more letters (including one of nine letters) can you make from M-I-R-I-C-K-L-E-S?

NB. MIMIC would not be allowed because only one M is available; ICIER, on the other hand, would, because the letter I appears twice in MIRICKLES.

ceil
ceils
cels
cire
cires
clerk
clerks
clime
climes
cries
crime
crimes
cris
elks
elms
emic
emir
emirs
ices
icier
icker
ickers
ickier
ilks
ires
iris
irks
isle
keir
keirs
kelim
kelims
kermis
kier
kiers
kilim
kilims
kirs
kris
leis
leks
lice
lick
licker
lickers
licks
lier
liers
lies
like
liker
likers
likes
lime
limerick
limericks
limes
limier
lire
liri
melic
mels
merk
merks
merl
merls
mesic
mice
mick
mickle
mickler
mickles
micks
mike
mikes
mile
miler
milers
miles
milk
milker
milkers
milkier
milks
milreis
mils
mire
mires
miri
mirk
mirks
mirs
mise
miser
mislie
mislike
misliker
reck
recks
recs
reis
relic
relics
rems
rice
rices
rick
ricks
riel
riels
rile
riles
rime
rimes
rims
rise
risk
scrim
semi
sice
sick
sicker
sickie
sickle
sicklier
sike
siker
silk
silkier
simile
sire
skelm
skier
skim
skirl
slice
slicer
slick
slicker
slier
slim
slime
slimier
smerk
smile
smiler
smirk

OPEN "\words\words.txt" FOR INPUT AS #1
OPEN "mirickls.txt" FOR OUTPUT AS #2
DO
 LINE INPUT #1, w$
 IF LEN(w$) >= 4 THEN
   chk$ = "mirickles"
   good = 1
   FOR i = 1 TO LEN(w$)
     ix = INSTR(chk$, MID$(w$, i, 1))
     IF ix = 0 THEN good = 0: EXIT FOR
     chk$ = LEFT$(chk$, ix - 1) + MID$(chk$, ix + 1)
   NEXT
   IF good THEN PRINT #2, w$
 END IF
LOOP UNTIL EOF(1)
CLOSE

Posted by Charlie on 2007-07-14 13:35:30