Category: Puzzle

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 16, 2023): Topsy-Turvy Q: Think of a common 8-letter word, in which the first three letters spell a word, and the fifth, sixth, and seventh letters also spell a word. These two little words mean the same thing. The fourth letter, when rotated 180°, becomes the […]

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 9, 2023): How Does Your Garden Grow? Q: Name some things you might grow in a garden. Move the middle letter to the beginning. Phonetically the result sounds like part of the human body and an article of clothing that covers it. What words are these? […]

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 2, 2023): Musicians and Writers Wanted Q: Think of an eight-letter word for a certain musician. Switch the order of the second and fourth letters and you’ll get a word for a certain writer. What words are these? The answers are words, not famous people. Add […]

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 26, 2023): Household Products Q: Name two brands of household products, each in three syllables. All of the syllables in the two brands rhyme with each other. That is, the first syllable in the first brand rhymes with the first syllable in the second brand, the […]

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 19, 2023): Bathroom and Kitchen Renovation Q: Name two well-known commercial products in five letters whose names are anagrams of each other. One product is something you’d probably see in your bathroom. The second is more likely to be in your refrigerator. What products are these? […]

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 12, 2023): Around the World Q: This week’s challenge is a spinoff of the on-air puzzle. Name two countries that have “consonyms” that are nationalities of other countries. In each case, the consonants in the name of the country are the same consonants in the same […]

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 5, 2023): MeDiCaL XaVier Q: Name something scary in two words. Five of the letters are vowels, which are all the same. And the consonants are all Roman numerals. What scary thing is this? I found a weird connection to last week.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 26, 2023): It Doesn’t Add Up Q: Take this equation: 14 + 116 + 68 = 47. Clearly this doesn’t work mathematically. But it does work in a nonmathematical way. Please explain. It makes about as much sense as 22 + 11 = 26 + 39.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 19, 2023): Make Like A Tree and Get Out of Here Q: Name a tree. In the very middle of the word insert a homophone of another tree. The result will be a new word describing what everyone wants to be. What is it? What everyone […]

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Feb 12, 2023): Under Pressure Q: Name a popular rock band — one that everyone knows. Add a “B” sound at the end, and phonetically you’ll name a place where you might hear this band play. What band is it? I believe they’ve been touring since the […]