Round 1 Puzzle: Minor Edits

by Lance Nathan

Each string of letters can have a substring replaced with a synonym to form a new string, which can have a substring replaced with a synonym to form a word. In each pair of strings, the second word contains all of the letters of the first word but one.

F: LIDERATEDSFUSE --> TOPERATEDSFUSE --> TRANSFUSE
   COPYRCHRUS --> APERCHRUS --> ANESTRUS

E: FOROFFERDENLATE --> FORBIDDENLATE --> TABULATE
   YESTTAL --> AYETTAL --> ABUTTAL

L: TFONET --> TFACET --> TANGLE
   MATULEASE --> MATURENT --> AGENT

L: TVIENT --> TCOMPETENT --> TABLE
   ASSEIZE --> ASTAKE --> ABET

O: COLORELLECT --> TINTELLECT --> TREASON
   QUINGESTEDRN --> QUATERN --> ASTERN

W: GREAPULL --> GREATOW --> TALLOW
   EVERYTHMOLD --> EVERYTHINGOT --> ALLOT

E: TETHSTEALRS --> TETHROBRS --> TEACHERS
   SKILLRUNK --> ARTRUNK --> ARCHEST

R: PRAISEBREAKIEST --> TOUTBREAKIEST --> TRASHIEST
   ATHFORMERUPS --> ATHOLDUPS --> ATHEISTS

M: POINTLATEAUVERS --> TIPLATEAUVERS --> TIMESAVERS
   DONKWATCHRTIVE --> DONKEYERTIVE --> ASSERTIVE

I: TSHOWECRIMSON --> TSHOWERED --> TRAINED
   AEDGEPRESSION --> ARIMPRESSION --> ARDENT

T: TCHARGEBLES --> TFEEBLES --> TWEAKS
   QUESTIOFRESH --> QUESTIONEW --> ASKEW

The letters that appear in the first words but not the second are FELLOWERMIT, which by the same process becomes CHAPERMIT and finally the answer, which is CHALET.

Also, each pair of words begins with the same letters, which are the hidden bigram TA.