Words starting with P, then R, then O, then U, ending in S
254 words fit this spine. The 240 most recognizable are listed below, longest and commonest first. They start with P, end with S, and contain R then O then U in that order in between — not necessarily side by side.
- pacemaker doesn't fit: it starts with P but ends with R, not S.
- packages doesn't fit: it has the right ends but no R in the middle.
- precautions doesn't fit: it has every letter of PROUS but they don't appear in order inside it.
6-letter words
parous, porous
7-letter words
parlous, petrous, proteus
8-letter words
parlours, perilous, pervious, pirogues, piroques, precious, prefocus, previous, procures, produces, products, pronouns, protiums
9-letter words
paramours, paroquets, penurious, ponderous, printouts, procurals, procurers, producers, proestrus, profounds, prologues, promulges, propounds, prorogues, proteuses, protrudes
10-letter words
paramounts, paronymous, parvovirus, pellagrous, perfidious, perigynous, perjurious, pernicious, petroleums, pirouettes, plunderous, poorhouses, porousness, portentous, precarious, preciouses, precocious, predaceous, predacious, prefocuses, procedures, proconsuls, prodigious, profusions, prolusions, pronounces, pronucleus, propagules, propitious, propositus, prosateurs, prosecutes, prospectus, prosperous, prothallus
11-letter words
paperbounds, pentamerous, peritoneums, perspicuous, pestiferous, petrolatums, phosphorous, piscivorous, playgrounds, polyandrous, polyestrous, powerhouses, precipitous, precomputes, prefocusses, preoccupies, prestigious, pretentious, primiparous, procambiums, procedurals, procurators, productions, proestruses, profuseness, prognathous, proinsulins, prolocutors, prologuizes, promethiums, promiscuous, promulgates, pronouncers, propounders, propulsions, prosceniums, prosciuttos, prosecutors, prostitutes, protohumans, protrusions
12-letter words
parsimonious, parvoviruses, pelargoniums, percutaneous, perilousness, peritrichous, pertinacious, perviousness, polymorphous, porcelaneous, porousnesses, porterhouses, positroniums, preannounces, precancerous, preciousness, precomputers, preconscious, preposterous, presumptuous, previousness, proctodaeums, procurations, procurements, profoundness, profundities, promptitudes, promulgators, pronucleuses, prosauropods, prosecutions, prospectuses, prostitutors, proteinurias, prothalluses
13-letter words
paramountcies, paramyxovirus, penuriousness, perspicacious, photoproducts, ponderousness, porcellaneous, praseodymiums, preformulates, proconsulates, profusenesses, prolegomenous, promiscuities, promulgations, propaedeutics, propinquities, prostitutions, protactiniums, proteinaceous, protuberances
14-letter words
pachydermatous, parenchymatous, perfidiousness, perilousnesses, perniciousness, perviousnesses, portentousness, precariousness, preciousnesses, precociousness, precombustions, preconsciouses, predaceousness, preoccupancies, preoccupations, preproductions, pretournaments, previousnesses, primogenitures, proconsulships, prodigiousness, productiveness, productivities, profoundnesses, pronouncements, pronunciations, propitiousness, prosperousness, protolanguages, protrusiveness
15-letter words
parajournalisms, paramyxoviruses, penuriousnesses, perspicuousness, pestiferousness, pithecanthropus, ponderousnesses, postproductions, precipitousness, prestigiousness, pretentiousness, promiscuousness, pronunciamentos
16-letter words
perfidiousnesses, perniciousnesses, pertinaciousness, photoproductions, pleuropneumonias, portentousnesses, precariousnesses, precociousnesses, predaceousnesses, preposterousness, presumptuousness, prodigiousnesses, productivenesses, pronunciamentoes, propitiousnesses, prosperousnesses, protrusivenesses
17-letter words
perspicaciousness, perspicuousnesses, pestiferousnesses, precipitousnesses, prestigiousnesses, pretentiousnesses, promiscuousnesses
18-letter words
pertinaciousnesses, photoreproductions, polymorphonuclears, preposterousnesses, presumptuousnesses, pronounceabilities
19-letter words
perspicaciousnesses, polyribonucleotides
Where this pattern came from
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Every word above follows this rule — see if you can find them under a clock.
How the rule works