Two-player puzzle: can you beat this Sunday brainteaser?

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• How this word challenge works — simple rule, sharp thinking
• The set of base words to transform
• What listeners submitted last week — the previous puzzle
  • Answer to last week’s puzzle
  • Who won
• This week’s listener-sent brainteaser
• How to submit your answers and what to include
• Tips for solving and entering

The weekly NPR word challenge returns with a fresh set of brainteasers that ask you to reshape eight-letter words into familiar ten-letter ones. Read the rules, try the examples, and consider entering to win a spot on the air.

How this word challenge works — simple rule, sharp thinking

The task is short and precise. You are given a list of eight-letter base words. Insert two consecutive letters into each base to create a common ten-letter word.

To show the idea, here is a clear example:

INTIMATE → INTIMIDATE

The set of base words to transform

Below are the eight-letter prompts for this round. For each, add two adjacent letters somewhere in the word to form a familiar ten-letter term.

1. ALLIANCE
2. DEMOTION
3. TRAMLINE
4. INHERENT
5. PARTICLE
6. LIBATION
7. COALESCE
8. INFINITE
9. COMPROMISE

What listeners submitted last week — the previous puzzle

The earlier listener puzzle asked contestants to take two names, totaling seven letters, and recombine them after one letter change to reveal another famous pair. That brainteaser came from a contributor in our audience.

Answer to last week’s puzzle

Adam & Eve rearranged with a letter change becomes Sam & Dave.

Who won

The selected entrant for the prior challenge was Iilyse Levine-Kanji of Westborough, Massachusetts.

This week’s listener-sent brainteaser

Joseph Young of St. Cloud, Minnesota, provided the new on-air challenge. He asks you to think of a word that means “very small.” Then move the word’s first syllable to the end and separate the parts with a space.

The result should read as a two-word phrase that names something notably enormous. What are the two words?

How to submit your answers and what to include

• Send your solution by the stated deadline: Thursday, Jan. 22 at 3 p.m. ET.
• Use the official submission form linked by the program. Include a phone number so producers can reach you.
• Winners may be invited to play the puzzle on the air.

Tips for solving and entering

• Try different insertion points in each eight-letter word.
• Think of common prefixes and suffixes that expand the word to ten letters.
• Work aloud or on paper; hearing possible new words can spark the right choice.