NY Times Crossword

September 3, 2025

Michael B. Berg (adapted)

 

The following words can be changed into new ones according to a certain pattern. Can you determine the pattern?

 

1. BAY

2. RUE

3. SEA

4. LOO

5. GAY

 

HINT:
The new words are formed phonetically.

 

Answer:

 

By adding the soft G sound (zh) to each word, a new word is formed phonetically:

 

1. BAY - BEIGE

2. RUE - ROUGE

3. SEA - SIEGE

4. LOO - LUGE

5. GAY - GAUGE