Directions: Each item in this puzzle is a word that can be turned into another word with the addition of two consecutive letters at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end. For example, the word WARY can be changed to WARMLY with the addition of ML. In every case, those two letters, like M and L, will be neighboring letters in the alphabet (in either order—LM or ML). Your job, of course, is to find the missing letters in each base word. As a solving guide, no two words require the same letter duo, so you might keep track, in the ABSENT NEIGHBORS column, of the pairs you use. Note: no solution ends in ED. Also, be warned. Some words, including #1, can take more than one pair, but only one combination of pairs will fill all the words. If you want some help, click on the blank in the middle column, and the needed letters will appear. If you want the answers, click on the blank in the SOLUTION column.

For a printer-friendly file with more Absent Neighbors, click on the link below. You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader to open this file.