The -gry puzzle is a popular word puzzle that asks for the third English word that ends with the letters -gry other than angry and hungry. Specific wording varies substantially, but the puzzle has no clear answer, as there are no other common English words that end in -gry.[1][2] Interpretations of the puzzle suggest it is either an answerless hoax; a trick question; a sincere question asking for an obscure word; or a corruption of a more straightforward puzzle, which may have asked for words containing gry (such as gryphon). Of these, countless trick question variants and obscure English words (or nonce words) have been proposed. The lack of a conclusive answer has ensured the enduring popularity of the puzzle, and it has become one of the most frequently asked word puzzles.[3][4][5]
The ultimate origin and original form of the puzzle is unknown, but it was popularized in 1975, starting in the New York area, and has remained popular into the 21st century. Various similar puzzles exist, though these have straightforward answers. The most notable is "words ending in -dous", which has been popular since the 1880s.
^(Uncommon such words include aggry and puggry.) Both Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged (Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2002, ISBN0-87779-201-1) and the Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition (Oxford University Press, 1989, ISBN0-19-861186-2) contain the compound word "aggry bead". To find a third word ending in -gry that is not part of a phrase, you must turn to archaic, obsolete, or uncommon words, or personal or place names.
^Collins English Dictionary contains aggry as a standalone word. The only -gry words playable in Scrabble are aggry, ahungry, angry, hungry and puggry.
^Cole, Chris (1999). Wordplay, A Curious Dictionary of Language Oddities. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. pp. 96–100. ISBN0-8069-1797-0.
^Daly, Matthew. "Usenet rec.puzzles Frequently Asked Questions". nugry (noo-gree or nyu-gree) n. 1. A newcomer who fails to follow established rules or procedures. 2. One who shows his inexperience by acting inappropriately. 3. One who posts the -GRY puzzle to rec.puzzles, in violation of the FAQ. Archived from the original on 26 March 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-22.
^Fundis, Lois. "STUMPER-L Reference Librarian Listserver archives October 1999 (#1042)". "Gry is a fightin' word to some of us by now; others will take your question as a reminder to change the oil in their cars (every three months).".