The Five Letter Puzzle
Solution

The solution for 18 June 2005:

Words in parentheses were listed in Will Shortz's solution, not mine. Words in square brackets were listed in mine, not his. Words in curly brackets were suggested by other contestants.

1. alley
2. apses
3. {asper}
4. aster
5. cacao
6. cacti
7. cadre
8. {casas}
9. cases
10. caste
11. casts
12. chili
13. chill
14. chips
15. chits
16. chops
17. chord
18. chore
19. drops
20. ester
21. (etyma)
22. hitch
23. hoper
24. lamer
25. lapse
26. leaps
27. llama
28. {merer}
29. meter
30. [oases]
31. [oasts]
32. (papal)
33. paper
34. peter
35. {pipal}
36. piper
37. [pipet]
38. {pipit}
39. pitch
40. poach
41. [porer]
42. [remap]
43. remet
44. {repit}
45. {repop}
46. roach
47. roast
48. roper
49. seamy
50. {spaes}
51. spall
52. spill
53. spits
54. spore
55. steps
56. [stere]
57. (stets)
58. still
59. (stipe)
60. styes
61. {stymy}
62. {tepal}
63. title
64. yeses

The solution for 12 December 2009:

1. caper
2. capes
3. carat
4. cares
5. caret
6. catch
7. champ
8. chest
9. chump
10. chute
11. cocks
12. cocky
13. cores
14. costs
15. crepe
16. crest
17. crock
18. happy
19. hatch
20. heros
21. match
22. muter
23. mutes
24. mutts
25. packs
26. paper
27. parch
28. pares
29. patch
30. pesky
31. pesos
32. pests
33. racks
34. raper
35. rapes
36. reset
37. rests
38. rocks
39. rocky
40. roses
41. socks
42. sores
43. tacks
44. taper
45. tapes
46. tares
47. taroc
48. tests

The solution for 05 February 2011:

1. amend
2. (amene)
3. (anata)
4. (anana)
5. (anear)
6. anele
7. anger
8. angle
9. (arede)
10. (arere)
11. binge
12. bingo
13. (binit)
14. (caman)
15. camel
16. dared
17. darer
18. (dered)
19. eared
20. emend
21. ended
22. ender
23. enema
24. (gerle)
25. gnats
26. going
27. inane
28. (ingle)
29. (leare)
30. (leman)
31. (lemel)
32. (manat)
33. mange
34. mango
35. matin
36. (meare)
37. (menge)
38. (opepe)
39. opera
40. (parae)
41. pared
42. parle
43. parer
44. (poind)
45. (poper)
46. radar
47. rared
48. rarer
49. (reded)
50. (regna)
51. repeg
52. scamp
53. scand
54. scats
55. stamp
56. stand
57. (stane)
58. (stang)
59. stats
60. sting
61. (tacan)
62. tango
63. tinea
64. tinge
65. titan

emacs, tampa, repop

The solution for 8 January 2012:

Words in parentheses were listed in Will Shortz's solution, not mine. Words in square brackets were listed in mine, not his.

1. acock
2. (alack)
3. (asana)
4. black
5. blank
6. blase
7. [bleck]
8. bless
9. [blets]
10. [blits]
11. block
12. cacas
13. canal
14. casas
15. [caser]
16. cases
17. (cecal)
18. ceres
19. (cocas)
20. colas
21. coles
22. elite
23. knack
24. (lacer)
25. laces
26. laser
27. lases
28. limbs
29. limit
30. liter
31. [lites]
32. local
33. miler
34. miles
35. miter
36. mites
37. (nanas)
38. nasal
39. [popup]
40. [porer]
41. pores
42. (punas)
43. (pupus)
44. purer
45. [pures]
46. [recan]
47. relet
48. relit
49. [rerot]
50. rerun
51. reset
52. [resun]
53. [retes]
54. rotes
55. rotor
56. [ruser]
57. ruses
58. (salal)
59. [salol]
60. (seres)
61. smile
62. smite
63. spore
64. spork
65. spots
66. spunk
67. stele
68. stere
69. stets
70. stile
71. stops
72. store
73. stork
74. (stots)
75. sunup
76. surer
77. [sures]
78. (teles)
79. tiler
80. tiles
81. (titer)
82. [tores]
83. torus
84. (toter)
85. totes
86. [unuse]

The solution for "another puzzle": (thanks to Carol Pinchefsky for ten additional words)

1. adore
2. aping
3. arena
4. cacao
5. carat
6. cared
7. caret
8. (cated?)
9. cater
10. cider
11. cited
12. citer
13. cites
14. coats
15. cocoa
16. codes
17. cored
18. (corer)
19. cores
20. costs
21. crate
22. credo
23. cress
24. crore
25. (derat?)
26. deter
27. edits
28. erode
29. irate
30. nenes
31. oared
32. oater
33. opine
34. orate
35. paned
36. panes
37. pangs
38. pined
39. (piner)
40. pines
41. pings
42. pored
43. (porer)
44. pores
45. rared
46. rarer
47. rares
48. rated
49. rater
50. rates
51. reset
52. (retes?)
53. rings
54. scrip
55. scrod
56. stare
57. stere
58. tacit
59. tares
60. taroc
61. tater
62. tenet
63. tided
64. tides
65. titer
66. wined
67. wines
68. wings
69. wired
70. wires

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