FIRST-LETTER CHANGE

The Enigma

NPL Magazine

December, 2025

WITZ

 

As suggested by the keywords, the three answers to this flat differ only by their first letters. Hint: The answer words each have seven letters, beginning with T, V, G - in that order.

 

The bowl was a metal and maple affair,

With film on the silver and wood with no

   shine.

It needed attention to freshen it up.

Embellishment might just improve the

   design:

Removing the FOLD and then coating 

   with GOLD,

Plus new floral BOLD and the bowl will

   look fine.

 

Answers:

 

FOLD = TARNISH

GOLD - VARNISH

BOLD = GARNISH  

 

1. Three words meaning Pretend, Condescend, and the Period under a king or queen differ by a sing letter. What are the words?

2. Three words meanings: Sew, Swap, and Inform on someone - differ by a single letter. What are the words?

3. Three words meaning Direct, Costume, and Duplicity - differ by a single letter. What are the words?

4. Three words meaning A cry,  A chicken, and A hood differ by a single letter. What are the words? 

5. Three words meaning Apartment, Achievement, and Edict - differ by a single letter. What are the words? 

6. Two words differ by a single letter. One you sit on and one you sing in. What are the words? 

Answers:

1. FEIGN, DEIGN, REIGN

2. STITCH, SWITCH, SNITCH  

3. GUIDE, GUISE, GUILE 

4. HOWL, FOWL, COWL 

5. FLAT, FEAT, FIAT 

6. CHAIR and CHOIR 

BRAIN BENDERS 

NY Times Puzzle Mania 

Heidi Erwin

 

For each of these pairs of words, change one letter of each word so that the two new words rhyme.

 

BOIL - PALE

MAID - DIM

ROUGH - SHOP

GOAT - SLAY

 

Answers:

 

BAIL - TALE or BOWL - POLE  

MAIM - AIM

DOUGH - SHOW

GNAT - SLAT 

  

 

GAMES/World of Puzzles

December, 2026

Scott Erdman 

 

Each clue has two parts, divided by a slash. After you solve the first half, replace the first letter of the answer word with the next letter in the alphabet to solve the second half.

 

For example: Buy and ____ / Show and ____

                                     SELL                  TELL

 

1. Sweetie / Charged particle

2. Bonkers / Inning's sextet

3. Maine crustacean / Al Capone, e.g.

4. ____ ball / ____ Club

5. Like some glass / Bozo

6. Quieting a squeak / Pier support

7. Female relative / Batter's sacrifice play

8. Nickname for Manuel / Mary Poppins, e.g.

9. Petroleum ____ / ____ green

10. Canine's neckwear / Buck

11. Poetic foot / Door or window part

12. Bagpiper's wear / Bouncy tune

13. Grimace / Fully developed

14. Puts on / Long stretches of time 

15. Eden or Secret /  Solidify 

 

Answers:

 

1. HON /  ION

2. NUTS /  OUTS

3. LOBSTER / MOBSTER

4. EIGHT / FIGHT

5. BLOWN / CLOWN

6. OILING /  PILING

7. AUNT / BUNT

8. MANNY / NANNY

9. JELLY / KELLY

10. COLLAR / DOLLAR

11. IAMB / JAMB

12. KILT / LILT

13. FROWN / GROWN

14. DONS / EONS

15. GARDEN / HARDEN  

DIFFERNITIONS

Dell PennyPress Variety Puzzles

Volume 72

 

DREAM  

 

Replace one letter in the word DREAM with another letter and anagram the result to find a five-letter word defined by the first clue. Return to DREAM and replace another letter to find an anagram that answers the next clue. And so on. All the answer words are one letter off from the word DREAM.

 

For example, the first clue can be answered by replacing the M in DREAM with a D to get ADDER - a "poisonous snake." Return to DREAM and replace one of the letters to find a word that anagrams into a word meaning "golden brown."

 

1. Poisonous snake

2. Golden brown

3. Pointed (as a weapon)

4. Serious stage play

5. Took a challenge

6. Painting holder

7. Stuck in the mud

8. Perceived a sound

9. Military award

10. Baseball swap

 

Answers:

 

1. ADDER

2. AMBER

3. AIMED

4. DRAMA

5. DARED

6. FRAME

7. MIRED

8. HEARD

9. MEDAL

10. TRADE  

The Enigma

NPL Magazine

August, 2025

COUSIN JOE 

 

Each answer to this flat is a five-letter word differing only in the third letter.

 

_______ it seemed like the man in the 

   Bible was cursed

When he found himself stuck in a big

   swimming _______,

He was in a good spot, this man later

   would say, 

Since he ate healthy fish found around 

   him each day:

"Being swallowed up _______ was not all

   that bad."

Jonah thought it could start a new fad. 

 

Answers:

 

WHILE

WHALE

WHOLE  

WILLOW - PILLOW

Joseph Appel 

Fill in the blanks with two words which roughly correspond to the clues and differ by a single letter. For example, _______ tree - _______ fight would be WILLOW tree and PILLOW fight.

1. _______ art - _______ flow 

2. _______ youth - _______ed halls

3. Spiritual _______ - _______ of life 

4. Penny _______ - _______ knowledge 

5. _______ humor - _______ Musical trill 

6. Racing oar _______ - Body part _______ 

7. Of great value _______ - Coming before _______ 

8. Department head _______ - Singing group _______ 

9. Deserving _______ - _______ Give to someone to sell 

 

Answers:

1. REVENGE - REVENUE

2. CALLOW - HALLOWed

3. DUALITY - QUALITY

4. ARCADE - ARCANE

5. MORDANT - MORDENT

6. SCULL - SKULL

7. PRECIOUS - PREVIOUS 

8. CHAIR - CHOIR 

9. CONDIGN - CONSIGN  

TIME TEST

Will Shortz

For the 2025 NPL  Convention, Minneapolis

 

Part 4

 

Change one letter in each of the two given words and join them together to complete a 13-letter word. Do not change the order of the letters. 

 

Ex. ACCENT AGILITY - ACCEPTABILITY 

 

1. CONE RADIATION

2. MALE VICTORIAN

3. WHITTLE FLOWER

4. CHORES GRAPHED

5.TRAPS POSITRON

6. PATENT HELICAL

7. LEMONS ORATION

8. OUTSTAY DINGHY

9. FLAMBE ROASTED

10. GRANT LAUGHTER

11. FOREST ADORING

12. CIRCUS SEANCES

13. LACKADAY SISAL

14. BRAIDS TERMING

 

Answers:

 

1. CONTRADICTION

2. VALEDICTORIAN

3. WHISTLEBLOWER

4. CHOREOGRAPHER

5. TRANSPOSITION

6. PARENTHETICAL

7. DEMONSTRATION

8. OUTSTANDINGLY

9. FLABBERGASTED

10. GRANDDAUGHTER

11. FORESHADOWING

12. CIRCUMSTANCES

13. LACKADAISICAL

14. BRAINSTORMING 

NY Times Crossword

February 2, 2025

Derrick Niederman 

 

Each familiar phrase can be re-written as two synonyms or closely related words that differ by only one letter. For example, FAST/CAR would be QUICK/BUICK.

 

1. Wild/bunch

2. Holland/tunne

3. Dinosaur/exhibition

4. Card/game

5. Skinny/dip

6. Horse/power

7. Slumber/party 

8. Trail/head

9. Stadium/timekeeper

 

Answers:

 

1. ZANY/MANY

2. DUTCH/DITCH

3. TREX/TREK

4. JOKER/POKER

5. SLIM/SWIM

6. COLT/VOLT

7. SIESTA/FIESTA

8. PATH/PATE 

9. METRODOME/METRONOME 

 

Change one letter in each of the words below to get new words that have something in common.

1. WOOD

2. BORN

3. HEARS

4. DRUNK

5. FINDER

 

Answer:

 

Changing one letter in each word will give five words that are parts of a car:

 

1. HOOD

2. HORN

3. GEARS

4. TRUNK

5. FENDER 

 

Boston Globe Crossword

October 31, 2010

Henry Hook

 

The answer to each clue below will be a familiar phrase with one letter shift in one of the words. 

 

1. Court proceedings in New Mexico capital

 

2. Faint-hearted farm female

 

3. What hotel cleanliness requires

 

Answers:

 

1. SANTA FE TRIAL

2. SCARED COW

3. THE MAID'S TOUCH 

THINK FAST

GAMES Magazine

September, 1999

Raymond Young

 

What five-letter word meaning "slow time" can drop its final letter  and become a word meaning "fast time?"

 

(BIG) Hint: 

"Fast" is a homograph.

Answer:

 

LENTO - meaning "slow" in music

LENT - period of fasting (not eating) for certain Christian faiths

Change one letter in each word to convert these sentences into familiar sayings.

For example: Won't fry oven spelled silk

                       Don't cry over spilled milk.

 

1. Bat nets gravels fact. 

2. In cakes tho so tangy.

3. Now brooks steep clear. 

4. Atop ant swell toe robes.

5. Sour guest id am gold us minx.

 

Answers:

 

1. Bad news travels fast.

2. It takes two to tango.

3. New brooms sweep clean.

4. Stop and smell the roses.

5. Your guess is as good as mine. 

 

   

JUST ONE LETTER

A single letter can change a word into a new one with an entirely different, and even opposite meaning. Some examples:

1. Garage sale - Garbage sale

2. Lucid prose - Lurid prose

3. Date - Hate

4. Brain - Brawn

5. Full - Dull

6. Hero - Zero

7. Lutz - Klutz

8. Ritz - Fritz

 

SINGLE LETTER CHANGE VII

From The Enigma

NPL Magazine

May, 2024

SALSAPHILE 

Replace the keywords ONE and TWO with two words that differ only by a single letter.

The other day, in a sick bit of fun,

I laced my buddy's meal with ONE.

But I got caught, this much is true,

And now must serve some time  in TWO.

Answers:

 

POISON

PRISON

FOREIGN FILMS

GAMES Magazine

August, 2001

Stephen Sniderman

 

[Note from JA: I try to avoid using movie names,as they do not often stand the test of time. But the ones clued here are very well-known. I hope this justifies their use in this fun puzzle.]

 

Change one letter in each word of every title to discover a well-known movie.

 

1. NONE WISH TOE WAND

2. BEST SIZE STORM

3. BY HAIR LAZY

4. TIE LIZARD ON OX

5. STAY WARM

6. HOME LINE IS HIT

7. KIND SONG

8. SOME CLONE

9. TOO STONY

 

Answers: 

 

1. GONE WITH THE WIND

2. WEST SIDE STORY

3. MY FAIR LADY

4. THE WIZARD OF OZ

5. STAR WARS

6. SOME LIKE IT HOT

7. KING KONG

8. HOME ALONE

9. TOY STORY

 LETTER SWAPPING XX

GAMES Magazine

February, 2001

Stephen Sniderman

 

Change one letter in each word to make a new word, without re-arranging the order of the letters.

 

Examples: SNIT - UNIT

                  ROUGH - ROUGE

                  CHORES - CHORUS

 

More than one answer may be possible for some words.

 

1. PRISON

2. PRIVATE

3. PROCESS

4. PARSLEY

5. CLOTTED

6. CONCERT

7. MINUTES

8. HIDEOUS 

9. FERVENT

10. SOLDIER

11. WHISPER

12. RUSTING

13. REACHED

14. FIREARMS 

(Possible) Answers:

 

1. PRISON - POISON

2. PRIVATE  - PRIMATE

3. PROCESS - PROWESS

4. PARSLEY - PAISLEY

5. CLOTTED - CLOTHED

6. CONCERT - CONCEIT

7. MINUTES  - MINUSES

8. HIDEOUS - HIDEOUT

9. FERVENT - FERMENT

10. SOLDIER - MOLDIER

11. WHISPER - WHIMPER

12. RUSTING - OUSTING

13. REACHED - REACTED

14. FIREARMS - FOREARMS

 

[Single Letter Change]

 

 

LETTER SWAPPING XIX

GAMES Magazine

February, 2001

Stephen Sniderman

 

Change one letter in each word below to make a new word - without changing the order of the letters.

 

Examples: IRONY - CRONY

                  SIMPLE - SIMILE

                  STRONG  - SARONG

                  GAUCHO - GAUCHE

 

More than one answer may be possible for some words.

1. SNIT

2. PASSED

3. EITHER

4. ROUGH

5. CHORE

6. TRAIN

7. ATTIC

8. CONIC

9. CHORES

10. ANNUAL

11. CANNON

12. DRONING

13. WILDNESS

 

(Possible) Answers: 

1. SNIT - UNIT

2. PASSED - PAUSED

3. EITHER - HITHER

4. ROUGH - ROUGE

5. SHORE - CHORE

6. TRAIN - TRAIT

7. ATTIC - ANTIC

8. CONIC - IONIC

9. CHORES - CHORUS

10. ANNUAL - ANNEAL

11. CANNON - CANTON

12. DRONING - IRONING

13. WILDNESS - WILINESS

 

[Single Letter Change]

LETTER SWAPPING XVIII

GAMES Magazine

February, 2001

Stephen Sniderman

 

Change one letter in each word below to make a new word - without changing the order of the letters.

 

Examples: FIST - FIAT

                  DECIDE - DECODE

                  EARNING - WARNING

 

More than one answer might be possible for some words.

 

1. SUCH

2. PINTS

3. IRONY

4. STERN

5. EAGER

6. SWAMP

7. HOARSE

8. GAUCHE

9. STRONG

10. SIMPLE

11. SCRAPE

12. FOUND

13. SMILED 

14. COMING

15. SALMON

16. ELECTRON

 

(Possible) Answers: 

1. SUCH - OUCH

2. PINTS - PINTO

3. IRONY - CRONY

4. STERN - STEIN

5. EAGER - CAGER

6. SWAMP - SWAMI

7. HOARSE - HEARSE

8. GAUCHE - GAUCHO

9. STRONG - SARONG

10. SIMPLE - SIMILE

11. SCRAPE - SERAPE

12. FOUND - WOUND

13. SMILED - SOILED

14. COMING - COOING

15. SALMON - SALOON

16. ELECTRON - ELECTION

 

[Single Letter Change]

LETTER SWAPPING XVII

GAMES Magazine

February, 2001

Stephen Sniderman

 

Change one letter in each word below to make a new word - without re-arranging the order of the letters. 

 

Examples: PARIAH - PARISH

                  INSOLENT - INDOLENT

 

More than one answer may be possible for some words.

 

1. CORD

2. AWAY

3. THE

4. FIST

5. ISLE

6. SOFT

7. APPLE

8. SHRED

9. ANGER

10. LIVELY

11. INMATE

12. DECIDE

13. PARLOR

14. EARNING

15. YEARLONG

 

(Possible) Answers:

 

1. CORD - COED

2. AWAY -AWRY

3. THE - TIE

4. FIST - FIAT

5. ISLE - IDLE

6. SOFT - SOFA

7. APPLE - AMPLE

8. SHRED - SIRED

9. ANGER - ANGEL 

10. LIVELY - LOVELY

11. INMATE - INNATE

12. DECIDE - DECODE

13. PARLOR - PALLOR

14. EARNING - WARNING

15. YEARLONG - YEARLING 

 

[Single Letter Change]