Question

Nine tiles containing parts of English letters in different text fonts are shown below. What is the maximum number of \textbf{COMPLETE letters that can be formed by rearranging the tiles in a \(3 \times 3\) grid?}

Hint:

For tile-rearrangement puzzles: \begin{itemize} \item Focus on edge continuity between tiles, \item Ignore font differences once outlines match, \item Count only fully closed and recognizable letters. \end{itemize}

Answer 1

Correct Answer: 4

Step 1: Observe that each tile contains only a \emph{portion} of a letter, and the font styles vary. A complete letter can only be formed if all its necessary parts align correctly in adjacent tiles. \bigskip Step 2: Rearranging the tiles within a \(3 \times 3\) grid, look for combinations where curves, straight strokes, and terminals join seamlessly to form recognizable English letters. \bigskip Step 3: Several partial matches may appear, but incomplete outlines or mismatched fonts do not count as valid complete letters. \bigskip Step 4: After checking all optimal rearrangements, the maximum number of distinct, fully formed English letters that can be clearly identified is: \[ \boxed{4} \] \bigskip