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Sunday Puzzle: Alphabetical arrangements

Sunday Puzzle
NPR
Sunday Puzzle

On-air challenge: I'm going to name some things that are in categories -- like days of the week or U.S. states. Each one I name is second alphabetically in its category. You name the one that's first.
 

Ex. Five  -->  Eight  (alphabetically the first two digits)

1. August

2. Sight

3. British Columbia

4. Astros

5. Columbia

6. "Antony and Cleopatra"

7. Huron

8. Brooklyn

Last week's challenge: Last week's challenge comes from Joseph Young, who's a frequent contributor here. Name a famous island in eight letters. Remove three consecutive letters. The letters that remain, in left-to-right order, will name where many islands can be found -- but not this one. What is this island, and where can't it be found?

Challenge answer: Atlantis --> atlas

Winner: Drew Skinner of Havertown, Pennsylvania

This week's challenge: This week's challenge comes from listener Dan Asimov, of Berkeley, Calif. In English the two-letter combination TH can be pronounced in two different ways: once as in the word "booth," the other as in "smooth." What is the only common English word, other than "smooth," that ends in the letters TH as pronounced in smooth?

Submit Your Answer

If you know the answer to the challenge, submit it here by Thursday, March 27 at 3 p.m. ET. Listeners whose answers are selected win a chance to play the on-air puzzle. Important: include a phone number where we can reach you.

Copyright 2025 NPR

NPR's Puzzlemaster Will Shortz has appeared on Weekend Edition Sunday since the program's start in 1987. He's also the crossword editor of The New York Times, the former editor of Games magazine, and the founder and director of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (since 1978).