A group is said to satisfy a word $w$ in the symbols $\{x, x^{-1}, y, y^{-1} \}$ provided that if the 'x' and 'y' are replaced by arbitrary elements of the group then the equation $w=1$ is satisfied. This paper studies certain equations in words, as above, which together with other conditions imply that groups which satisfy these equations and conditions must be abelian.