NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 23, 2026): Thirteen to Twenty

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 23, 2026): Thirteen to Twenty

Q: Spell out the numbers from 13 to 20 -- THIRTEEN, FOURTEEN, FIFTEEN, SIXTEEN, SEVENTEEN, EIGHTEEN, NINETEEN, TWENTY. Select one letter from each word, in order, to name another number. No anagramming is necessary. What number is it?

Again, Will has given us a "number" puzzle that doesn't expect any math knowledge.

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 16, 2026): Movie Villains

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 16, 2026): Movie Villains

Q: Think of a famous movie villain. Insert one letter to get the brand name of a household product. Then change one letter of the product to get the last name of another famous movie villain. Who are the characters, and what is the product?

I got it on the fourth try.

Edit: Ivan Drago was the villian in Rocky IV.

A: DR. NO, DRANO, DRAGO

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 9, 2026): Faces North

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 9, 2026): Faces North

Q: Using only the letters in the words FACES NORTH, repeating them as often as you wish, you can spell a familiar expression in seven words (4,3,3,6,3,3,5). What expression is it?

I'm reminded of a puzzle with something left out.

Edit: I was thinking of a puzzle involving trees that got rearranged to be 4 other trees, but with a letter left out.

A: CAN'T SEE THE FOREST FOR THE TREES

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 2, 2026): Get Moving

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Aug 2, 2026): Get Moving

Q: Think of a type of exercise equipment in three syllables. Remove the two middle letters and you'll name a means of transportation. What words are these?

It was worded differently, but we've seen this wordplay twice before.

Edit: The first time we had this wordplay was in the NPR Puzzle for August 8, 2021. The other time was as the On-air Puzzle in January 18, 2026.

A: TRAMPOLINE, TRAMLINE