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Every week the Sunday word challenge asks solvers to think sideways about letters and meanings. This edition serves up six paired clues that depend on a simple twist: change the first and last letters of one answer to produce the other. Read on, solve along, and consider sending your best entries for a chance to play on air.
How the letter-swap word game works (quick guide)
The game presents two clues that point to two different words. To get from the first answer to the second, swap the first and last letters of the first word. One tiny letter move creates a new word, often with a witty contrast.
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Short example
Think of a spice, then exchange its first and last letters to get a plural that names long, heroic poems. That simple flip shows how the puzzle plays.
Six paired clues for today — try them now
Each numbered item contains two clues. Solve the first word, then swap its first and last letters to arrive at the second. Good luck.
- Pair 1: Make a grand speech / Muse of love poetry
- Pair 2: What a skull-and-crossbones warns / Moved about without direction
- Pair 3: Lyrics you might sing / The saint linked to the Cyrillic alphabet
- Pair 4: A loud shout / Totals equal to ten hundred-dollar bills
- Pair 5: Routes or drops for delivery drivers / Last name of a former U.S. Supreme Court justice named David
- Pair 6: A small shoulder-slung bag / Some devices that secure gates
Last week’s brainteaser and the result
Last week’s entry came from a listener in New Jersey and asked solvers to transform the name of a gaming venue with two small letter moves. The clever manipulation produced a punny phrase about what you might leave the site with.
Answer revealed
Answer: Casino, no cash
Selected entry
Winner: Mike Rombach of Pleasanton, California
This week’s special challenge from a Simpsons writer
Our new bonus puzzle arrives courtesy of Mike Reiss, veteran writer and showrunner. He asks you to identify a famous living singer. The last two letters of the singer’s first name plus the first two letters of the last name spell the name of a bird. Change the first letter of the singer’s first name. Then the first three letters of that altered first name, combined with the final five letters of the last name, form a second bird. Which singer fits both clues?
How to enter and deadline for submissions
If you think you have the right answer, send it in for consideration. Selected entrants may be invited to play on air. Please submit your entry by Thursday, December 11 at 3 p.m. ET.
