Word Sequences

What's the longest sequence of words you can make, beginning with any word and adding one letter at a time, if each step must also be a word?

If you can add them only at the end, a computer search outputs the dubious:

co
com
comp
compo
compos
compose
composer
composers

Adding letters only at the beginning I get the equally doubtful:

es
hes
shes
ashes
lashes
plashes
splashes

If you add can add letters on either end, I found this valid 10-letter sequence:

I
in
tin
ting
sting
siting
sitting
slitting
splitting
splittings

My personal favorite, allowing rearranging letters, yields this whopping 15-letter series:

I
it
tie
rite
irate
attire
cattier
interact
intricate
recitation
ratiocinate
ratiocinated
accreditation
contraindicate
contraindicated

The above answers found using a python, and the GNU aspell dictionary. Words containing ', -, or capital letters were removed.

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