Exercise 8.1
The MRC Psycholinguistic Database, which can be searched online at this link, gives the following 285 words for the beginning sequence /mʌ/ (using the “phonetic” code ‘mV*’ in the Database). You can probably think of others, but remember that a database is only going to list words that were in the corpus or corpora that were used in creating the database, and using the pronunciation that was deemed correct at the time and for the speaker group that it was designed for.
MONDAY; MONDAYS; MONETARY; MONETIZE; MONETIZED; MONETIZES; MONETIZING; MONEY; MONEY-BOX; MONEY-BOXES; MONEY-CHANGER; MONEY-CHANGERS; MONEY-GRUBBER; MONEY-GRUBBERS; MONEY-LENDER; MONEY-LENDERS; MONEY-ORDER; MONEY-ORDERS; MONEY-SPINNER; MONEY-SPINNERS; MONEYED; MONEYLESS; MONGER; MONGERS; MONGREL; MONGRELS; MONIES; MONK; MONKEY; MONKEY-JACKET; MONKEY-JACKETS; MONKEY-NUT; MONKEY-NUTS; MONKEY-PUZZLE; MONKEY-PUZZLES; MONKEY-WRENCH; MONKEY-WRENCHES; MONKEYED; MONKEYING; MONKEYS; MONKISH; MONKS; MONTH; MONTHLIES; MONTHLY; MONTHS; MOTHER; MOTHER-IN-LAW; MOTHERED; MOTHERHOOD; MOTHERING; MOTHERLESS; MOTHERLIKE; MOTHERLINESS; MOTHERLY; MOTHERS; MOTHERS-IN-LAW; MOTHERSILL; MOTHERWELL; MUCH; MUCHNESS; MUCK; MUCK-HEAP; MUCK-HEAPS; MUCK-RAKER; MUCK-RAKERS; MUCK-RAKING; MUCKED; MUCKER; MUCKIER; MUCKIEST; MUCKING; MUCKLE; MUCKRAKE; MUCKS; MUCKY; MUD; MUD-BATH; MUD-BATHS; MUD-SLINGER; MUD-SLINGERS; MUDDED; MUDDIED; MUDDIER; MUDDIES; MUDDIEST; MUDDING; MUDDLE; MUDDLED; MUDDLEHEADED; MUDDLER; MUDDLES; MUDDLING; MUDDY; MUDDYING; MUDGUARD; MUDGUARDS; MUDLARK; MUDS; MUFF; MUFFED; MUFFIN; MUFFIN-MAN; MUFFIN-MEN; MUFFINEER; MUFFING; MUFFINS; MUFFLE; MUFFLED; MUFFLER; MUFFLERS; MUFFLES; MUFFLING; MUFFS; MUFTI; MUG; MUGGED; MUGGER; MUGGERS; MUGGIER; MUGGIEST; MUGGINESS; MUGGING; MUGGINGS; MUGGINS; MUGGINSES; MUGGY; MUGS; MUGWUMP; MUGWUMPS; MULBERRIES; MULBERRY; MULCH; MULCHED; MULCHES; MULCHING; MULCT; MULCTED; MULCTING; MULCTS; MULL; MULLAH; MULLAHS; MULLED; MULLEIN; MULLEINS; MULLET; MULLETS; MULLIGATAWNY; MULLING; MULLION; MULLIONED; MULLIONS; MULLOCK; MULLS; MULTIFARIOUS; MULTIFORM; MULTILATERAL; MULTILITERAL; MULTIPLE; MULTIPLES; MULTIPLEX; MULTIPLICAND; MULTIPLICATION; MULTIPLICATIVE; MULTIPLICATOR; MULTIPLICITY; MULTIPLIED; MULTIPLIER; MULTIPLIES; MULTIPLY; MULTIPLYING; MULTITUDE; MULTITUDES; MULTITUDINOUS; MUM; MUMBLE; MUMBLED; MUMBLER; MUMBLES; MUMBLING; MUMMER; MUMMERIES; MUMMERS; MUMMERY; MUMMIES; MUMMIFICATION; MUMMIFIED; MUMMIFIES; MUMMIFY; MUMMIFYING; MUMMY; MUMP; MUMPISH; MUMPS; MUMS; MUNCH; MUNCHED; MUNCHES; MUNCHING; MUNDANE; MUNDANELY; MUNSTER; MUNTJAK; MURRAIN; MUSCAT; MUSCATEL; MUSCLE; MUSCLE-BOUND; MUSCLE-MAN; MUSCLE-MEN; MUSCLED; MUSCLES; MUSCLING; MUSCOVIES; MUSCOVITE; MUSCOVITES; MUSCOVY; MUSCULAR; MUSCULARITY; MUSH; MUSHIER; MUSHIEST; MUSHROOM; MUSHROOMED; MUSHROOMING; MUSHROOMS; MUSHY; MUSK; MUSK-DEER; MUSK-RAT; MUSK-RATS; MUSK-ROSE; MUSK-ROSES; MUSKET; MUSKETEER; MUSKETRY; MUSKETS; MUSKIER; MUSKIEST; MUSKY; MUSLIN; MUSQUASH; MUSS; MUSSED; MUSSEL; MUSSELBURGH; MUSSELS; MUSSES; MUSSING; MUSSULMAN; MUST; MUSTANG; MUSTANGS; MUSTARD; MUSTARDSEED; MUSTER; MUSTERED; MUSTERING; MUSTERS; MUSTIER; MUSTIEST; MUSTINESS; MUSTN'T; MUSTS; MUSTY; MUTT; MUTTER; MUTTERED; MUTTERER; MUTTERERS; MUTTERING; MUTTERS; MUTTON; MUTTON-HEAD; MUTTON-HEADS; MUTTONY; MUTTS; MUZZIER; MUZZIEST; MUZZLE; MUZZLED; MUZZLES; MUZZLING; MUZZY
If we remove all items that are morphologically related to a base form (e.g. plurals, past tenses, and derived words that might be listed under the same headword as a base form) then we can shorten this list to the following 71 words.
MONDAY; MONEY; MONGER; MONGREL; MONK; MONKEY; MONTH; MOTHER; MOTHERSILL; MOTHERWELL; MUCH; MUCK; MUCKLE; MUD; MUDDLE; MUFF; MUFFIN; MUFFLE; MUFTI; MUG; MUGGY; MULBERRY; MULCH; MULCT; MULL; MULLAH; MULLEIN; MULLET; MULLIGATAWNY; MULLION; MULLOCK; MULTIFARIOUS; MULTIFORM; MULTILATERAL; MULTILITERAL; MULTIPLE; MULTIPLEX; MULTITUDE; MUM; MUMBLE; MUMMY; MUMP; MUNCH; MUNDANE; MUNSTER; MUNTJAK; MURRAIN; MUSCAT; MUSCATEL; MUSCLE; MUSCOVY; MUSH; MUSHROOM; MUSK; MUSKET; MUSLIN; MUSQUASH; MUSS; MUSSEL; MUSSELBURGH; MUSSULMAN; MUST; MUSTANG; MUSTARD; MUSTER; MUSTY; MUTT; MUTTER; MUTTON; MUZZLE; MUZZY
If we do the same exercise for swing, i.e. searching for /sw/ using the code ‘sw*’, then – entirely coincidentally - the Database again returns 285 words. You can check this for yourself. The shortened list, excluding plurals, pasts, etc., contains the 75 words below, though we could argue that perhaps swam and swum should not be listed as well as swim.
SOIGNEE; SOIREE; SUASION; SUAVE; SUEDE; SUITE; SWAB; SWABBER; SWABIAN; SWADDLE; SWADLINCOTE; SWAG; SWAGE; SWAHILI; SWAIN; SWALLOW; SWAM; SWAMI; SWAMP; SWAN; SWANAGE; SWANK; SWANLEY; SWANSEA; SWAP; SWARAJ; SWARD; SWARE; SWARM; SWART; SWARTHY; SWASH; SWASTIKA; SWAT; SWATH; SWATHE; SWAY; SWAZI; SWEAR; SWEAT; SWEDE; SWEEP; SWEET; SWELL; SWELTER; SWEPT; SWERVE; SWIFT; SWIG; SWILL; SWIM; SWINDLE; SWINDON; SWINE; SWING; SWINGE; SWINGLE; SWINTON; SWIPE; SWIRL; SWISH; SWISS; SWITCH; SWIVEL; SWIZ; SWIZZLE; SWOB; SWOLLEN; SWOON; SWOOP; SWOP; SWORE; SWOT; SWUM; SWUNG