Word formation – From the letters W, N, O (no repetition), how many meaningful 3-letter English words can be formed using each letter exactly once?

Introduction / Context:Short anagrams with three letters frequently yield up to three valid permutations. With W, N, O, we must form 3-letter words using each letter once, and count how many are standard English words. This checks your recall of common, simple vocabulary including different parts of speech.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Letters: {W, N, O}.
• Word length = 3; no letter repetition.
• Accept mainstream dictionary words only.

Concept / Approach:Enumerate the permutations and test meaning. The three familiar words are: “NOW,” “OWN,” and “WON.” All three are ubiquitous in standard English: now (adverb of time), own (verb/adjective), won (past participle/past of win). Because each uses all letters once, the total count is three.

Step-by-Step Solution:Try each starting letter: N__ → NOW; O__ → OWN; W__ → WON.All three are dictionary words with common usage.Therefore, number of meaningful 3-letter words = 3.

Verification / Alternative check:A quick dictionary or word-list glance confirms the trio. These are standard “starter” examples in many reasoning sets, minimizing ambiguity.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• None/One/Two: Under-count; the letter set yields exactly three high-frequency words.

Common Pitfalls:Overlooking tense changes (“won”) or different parts of speech (“own”). In short anagrams, function and inflected forms often complete the valid set.

Final Answer:Three