Lexicographer Susie Dent caused amusement in the Countdown studio after finding cheeky a seven-letter word during Tuesday’s episode.
The discovery came during a letters round where contestants struggled to form longer words from the available letters.
Contestants Joe Davies and Suzanne Anisfeld faced the challenge of forming words from the letters RLSXAOAOU during the weekday programme.
Both players appeared to struggle with the combination, managing only four-letter words, with Davies offering the word “Alas” and Anisfled suggesting “lose”.
The contestants each earned four points for their efforts before attention turned to Dictionary Corner for alternative solutions.
Guest presenter Nicki Chapman acknowledged the round’s difficulty whilst praising their efforts, before turning to her Dictionary Corner colleague, Dent, with a smirk to reveal the discovery.
Susie Dent stepped in when the contestants could only find a four-letter word
CHANNEL 4
“Tough. Really tough,” Chapman said. “But Susie has come up with ‘arousal’ for seven.”
Host Colin Murray and guest Chapman appeared to smirk as the word was revealed, with Murray praising Dent’s find as “sensational” during the Channel 4 afternoon show.
Murray smiled and exclaimed: “Oh wow,” before he praised Dent and said: “Sensational, well done Susie.”
The seven-letter word was displayed on the board, using all but two letters from the selection – the spare O and X tiles remaining visible above.
Rachel Riley looked down at the board when showing off the word
CHANNEL 4
Rachel Riley, who had unveiled the original letter combination, was seen looking down at the board as the word appeared.
The co-host then appeared to sport a slight smirk as Murray declared the find “fantastic” before moving to the next round.
The long-running game show has attracted attention over the years for words spelt out during its letter rounds, with Dent impressing viewers with her knowledge since 1992.
However, Dent’s word isn’t the first word to cause a stir, as one contestant’s cheeky remark ended up being cut from the final edit of a previous episode.
A former audience member told The Sun that one answer was so bad producers were forced to ban it from airing because of fears over complaints.
They revealed: “There were a couple of retakes and the funniest one was when a guy said ‘pi**er’ in the anagrams round. It was a great six-letter word but they couldn’t use it.
Colin Murray found the word amusing
CHANNEL 4
“I think it’s because they feared getting complaints. He still got the points but right at the end of filming they recorded him saying a more palatable six-letter word instead.”
The programme features Colin Murray, who took over as host in 2022, alongside Rachel Riley and Susie Dent, who has been the show’s lexicographer since 1992.
