I am an eight letter word: letters 1 to 4 form a question word, letters 2 to 4 name something that protects our head, letters 5 to 7 spell the name of an IT company, and letters 7 and 8 are the same letter. Which word am I?

Introduction / Context:
This is a multi clue word puzzle that requires you to analyse different overlapping parts of a single word. You are told that the word has eight letters and that specific segments of the word have their own meanings. The first four letters form a question word, letters two to four describe something that protects the head, letters five to seven name an IT company, and the last two letters are the same. This style of puzzle checks pattern recognition, vocabulary, and familiarity with the names of well known technology companies, all at the same time.

Given Data / Assumptions:

- The word has exactly eight letters. - Letters 1 to 4 form a question word. - Letters 2 to 4 form a word for something that protects our head. - Letters 5 to 7 spell the name of an IT company. - Letters 7 and 8 are the same letter. - The final solution must be a familiar English word or name, not just a random sequence of letters.

Concept / Approach:
Start with the question word formed by the first four letters. Common four letter question words in English include what and when. Among these, what has letters H, A, and T in positions 2, 3, and 4, which exactly spell hat, an item that protects the head. This satisfies the second condition. Next, look at possible IT company names that fit into positions 5 to 7. A very famous enterprise software company is SAP, whose name uses the letters S, A, and P. That suggests that letters 5, 6, and 7 may be S, A, and P. Finally, letters 7 and 8 must be the same, so letter 8 is also P. Putting this together leads to the word WhatsApp, a widely used messaging application.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify candidate question words with four letters, such as what and when. Step 2: Test what. Letters 2 to 4 are H, A, and T, which spell hat, clearly something that protects the head. Step 3: This confirms that the first part of the solution is what. Step 4: Consider known IT company names with three letters for positions 5 to 7. Examples include SAP, TCS, IBM, and HCL. Step 5: Try SAP. This fits nicely after what to form whatsap so far for the first seven letters. Step 6: Remember that letters 7 and 8 must be the same. If letter 7 is P, then letter 8 must also be P. Step 7: Therefore, the full eight letter sequence becomes WhatsApp. Step 8: Verify that WhatsApp is a real and widely known name, satisfying all given conditions.

Verification / Alternative check:
Let us check each clue against WhatsApp. Letters 1 to 4 are W, H, A, T, which spell what, a common question word. Letters 2 to 4 are H, A, T, which spell hat, a protective item worn on the head. Letters 5 to 7 are S, A, and P, which spell SAP, a major global IT company. Letters 7 and 8 are both P, which satisfies the same letter condition. No other option fits all of these clues as neatly. For example, whatever and whistle do not contain hat as letters 2 to 4, nor do they embed SAP with repeated final letters in the correct positions. This confirms that WhatsApp is the uniquely correct solution.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Whatever begins with what but does not have SAP in positions 5 to 7, and letters 7 and 8 are not the same. Whistle and whitecap do not start with what and do not contain hat in positions 2 to 4 as required. Spaceship fails multiple conditions, including the question word and the embedded IT company name. Thus, each of the distractors breaks at least one given rule, while only WhatsApp satisfies all letter based conditions simultaneously.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent mistake is to focus only on the first clue and pick any word that begins with what without checking the more detailed constraints. Another pitfall is overlooking the IT company clue or interpreting it too broadly. Successful solving of such puzzles depends on methodically verifying each condition rather than stopping when only one clue fits. Writing down letter positions and checking each segment against the clues is a reliable way to avoid hasty, incorrect guesses.

Final Answer:
The eight letter word described by all these clues is WhatsApp.