The riddle asks for an 8-letter word that can have one letter removed at a time, each time still forming another valid word, until only one letter is left. The word you’re looking for is “starting.”

Here’s how it works:

1. Starting
2. Staring
3. String
4. Sting
5. Sing
6. Sin
7. In
8. I

Each step forms a valid word by removing one letter.