Sunday, June 28, 2026

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 28, 2026): Going Places

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 28, 2026): Going Places
Q: Think of a U.S. city with a two-word name. Add a letter to the first word, without rearranging letters, to name a country. Then, without adding a letter, rearrange the letters of the second word to name another country. What places are these?
Add the letter D to the city and rearrange to get a former sports team in the same state.

36 comments:

  1. Rearrange the two countries to name a rock band and an online magazine.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Remove the first and last letters of the city. Rearrange. You get something often mentioned in the news these days.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Over 1700 correct entries last week

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was pretty easy. With this puzzle, I immediately thought the letter should be added to the START, in first PLACE.

      Delete
  4. This one can be unlocked in a couple of ways (at least).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I started with a reasonable guess at the first country and worked backwards.

      Delete
  5. I have a musical clue, but I think Blaine might consider it TMI.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Here’s a similar challenge: Think of a well-known U.S. city with a two-word name. Add a letter to EACH of the two words without rearranging letters. Then read the first forward and the second backward to name two countries.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, this is city I tried first.

      Delete
    2. Pretty close to the actual answer, in more ways than one.

      Delete
    3. For some reason, I'm thinking of artificial intelligence.

      Delete
  7. Ok, a musical clue: a Philadelphia R&B group.

    ReplyDelete
  8. When you add a letter. Is the country just the first word of the city, or still the two words?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Question: I may be splitting hairs, but the clue is "add" a letter, not "insert" a letter. Is that important?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think that's a fair question, Scarlett. I have an answer, but it required me to insert a letter into the first word of the U.S. city. Isn't "inserting" a way of "rearranging," which the puzzle directions said not to do?

      Delete
  10. Not a clue, but my wife just pointed out that Narcissus died as a result of a reflecting pool.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry; I didn’t realize the Ks were a paradox. I once knew a PhD married to a PhD who invited her students to call her either Mrs. or Dr., explaining that she had worked just as long to get the first title as to get the second.

      Delete
  11. I’m reminded of my friend, Cliff Crag, of the Department of Redundancy Department.

    ReplyDelete
  12. It’s taking me longer to think of a non-TMI clue than it took to solve the puzzle.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rearrange the letters in the city name to describe a mathematical problem.

      Delete
  13. Change one letter of the second country and rearrange to get a bird.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Just mentioning how I started to solve this one is probably TMI.

    ReplyDelete
  15. My congratulations to Rawson Sheinberg for creating an almost perfect Will-Shortz-type puzzle. Of the 3 parts of the answer, I suggest answering them 2, 1, 3.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I JUST FOUND OUT THAT TODAY IS INTERNATIONAL CAPS LOCK DAY!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Is there no Billy Joel related reference this week? Hmmm…..

    ReplyDelete
  18. Even though this is a shithole puzzle I enjoyed it because I solved it while still in bed without any lists.

    ReplyDelete

For NPR puzzle posts, don't post the answer or any hints that could lead to the answer before the deadline (usually Thursday at 3pm ET). If you know the answer, submit it to NPR, but don't give it away here.

You may provide indirect hints to the answer to show you know it, but make sure they don't assist with solving. You can openly discuss your hints and the answer after the deadline. Thank you.