Word Transformation Problem Overview

This problem asks us to perform a specific transformation on five given three-letter words: NGX, FHZ, TJU, DOU, and WCM. The transformation involves replacing each consonant in a word with its 2nd preceding letter in the English alphabetical series. Vowels are to remain unchanged. After applying this consonant replacement, we need to count how many of the newly formed words contain exactly two vowels.

Alphabetical Series Rule Explained

To accurately apply the consonant replacement rule, we must understand what "2nd preceding letter" means. This refers to the letter that comes two positions before the given consonant in the standard alphabetical order. For instance, if the letter is 'F', the 1st preceding letter is 'E', and the 2nd preceding letter is 'D'. If the letter is 'C', the 2nd preceding letter is 'A'.

Here is the English alphabetical series for reference:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Remember that the vowels are A, E, I, O, U. All other letters are consonants.

Consonant Replacement for Each Word

Let's systematically apply the consonant replacement rule to each of the five words:

1. Word: NGX
   • 'N' is a consonant. Its 2nd preceding letter is 'L' (N > M > L).
   • 'G' is a consonant. Its 2nd preceding letter is 'E' (G > F > E).
   • 'X' is a consonant. Its 2nd preceding letter is 'V' (X > W > V).
   • The new word formed is LEV.
2. Word: FHZ
   • 'F' is a consonant. Its 2nd preceding letter is 'D' (F > E > D).
   • 'H' is a consonant. Its 2nd preceding letter is 'F' (H > G > F).
   • 'Z' is a consonant. Its 2nd preceding letter is 'X' (Z > Y > X).
   • The new word formed is DFX.
3. Word: TJU
   • 'T' is a consonant. Its 2nd preceding letter is 'R' (T > S > R).
   • 'J' is a consonant. Its 2nd preceding letter is 'H' (J > I > H).
   • 'U' is a vowel. It remains 'U'.
   • The new word formed is RHU.
4. Word: DOU
   • 'D' is a consonant. Its 2nd preceding letter is 'B' (D > C > B).
   • 'O' is a vowel. It remains 'O'.
   • 'U' is a vowel. It remains 'U'.
   • The new word formed is BOU.
5. Word: WCM
   • 'W' is a consonant. Its 2nd preceding letter is 'U' (W > V > U).
   • 'C' is a consonant. Its 2nd preceding letter is 'A' (C > B > A).
   • 'M' is a consonant. Its 2nd preceding letter is 'K' (M > L > K).
   • The new word formed is UAK.

Vowel Counts in Formed Words

After performing the consonant replacement for each word, we now list the new words and count the number of vowels (A, E, I, O, U) in each of them. Our goal is to identify words that have exactly two vowels.

From the analysis presented in the table:

• The word LEV has one vowel ('E').
• The word DFX has no vowels.
• The word RHU has one vowel ('U').
• The word BOU has two vowels ('O' and 'U').
• The word UAK has two vowels ('U' and 'A').

Words with Two Vowels Identified

Based on our detailed vowel count analysis, the words that have exactly two vowels after the consonant replacement operation are:

• BOU (from DOU)
• UAK (from WCM)

Therefore, there are two words among the transformed set that contain two vowels.