Here is a clever word riddle: What 5-letter word is pronounced the same when you remove four of its letters?
The answer depends on a word whose remaining single letter has the same spoken sound as the original word.
The answer is “queue.”
“Queue” contains five letters: Q-U-E-U-E. If you remove the final four letters, only the letter Q remains. The letter Q is pronounced “cue,” which is also how the full word “queue” is pronounced.
That is what makes this riddle work. Visually, the word changes dramatically, but when spoken aloud the sound remains essentially the same. It is a neat little language puzzle that is much easier once you say the word out loud.
