Three Letter String

HOW

shower
show
howdy
chow
chowder

PUN

PUN

pundit
punitive
punishment
punctuation
punt

TTE

TTE

kitchenette
bachelorette
smitten
Kettering
letterhead

ARD

ARD

shard
arduous
tardiness
gardening
marketplace

ENI

ENI

scenic
lenient
genius
convenient
menial

CRI

CRI

criminal
lacrimal
crispy
decriminalize
critter

IFT

IFT

gift
rift
shift
thrift
lift

OME

OME

omen
something
pomegranate
women
comely

NUT

NUT

nutshell
doughnuts or donuts
coconut
peanuts
innutrition (:D ... cheated for that)

SLI

SLI

slipper
landslide
slimy
slingshot
sliver

LIM