It's a startling word indeed!

For many years our favourite word has been stifle, because it's an anagram of itself, which you must admit is pretty clever. Now we've found another word that is really startling. Just as a cockroach, when threatened by a human predator, sheds one of its parts to save its life, so does startling.

• Take away the l and it becomes starting
• or take away the second t, and it becomes starling
• remove one t from starting, or the l from starling, and you get staring
• remove the a and it turns into string
• delete the r, and you get a sting
• remove the other t, and you start to sing
• deleting the g would be a sin
• ditching the s would see you in
• knock out the n, and I have the last word.