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Sunday Puzzle: Six-letter words with four vowels and two consonants

Sunday Puzzle
NPR
Sunday Puzzle

On-air challenge: Every answer today is a six-letter word or name that has four vowels and two consonants and is pronounced in four syllables.

Ex. Absolute madness --> IDIOCY

1. Perfect world

2. Home for birds

3. Home for bees

4. Saudi ___

5. Peninsula with Spain and Portugal

6. At a slow tempo, musically

7. Keen eyesight

8. Singer Newton-John

9. Muse of astronomy

10. Strong-flavored cheese from northern Italy

11. Area of dark-colored skin surrounding a nipple

12. Weakness caused by a low number of red blood cells

Last week's challenge: Last week's challenge comes from listener Jim Bricker, of Wayland, Mass. Think of three common six-letter words that have vowels in the second and fifth positions. The last five letters of the words are the same. Only the first letters differ and none of the words rhyme with either of the others. What words are they?

Challenge answer: Mallet (or pallet), wallet, and ballet

Winner: Michael Kahan of Mountain View, Cali.

This week's challenge: Think of a well-known seven-letter geographical name in a single word that has just two consonants and yet is pronounced in five syllables.

Submit Your Answer

If you know the answer to the challenge, submit it here by Thursday, May 16th 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 2024 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).