SCRAMBLED STATES

Each nonsense phrase below can be anagrammed into the name of a U.S. state.

1. ANT MAN 

2. EEL AWARD 

3. HAM ICING 

4. SNAKE BAR 

5. RHINO SADDLE 

 

HINTS:
First letters of the states' names:

1. M

2. D

3. M

4. N

5. R

 

Answers:

 

1. MONTANA

2. DELAWARE

3. MICHIGAN

4. NEBRASKA

5. RHODE ISLAND

 

Credit:
Braingle  

  

CHANGE OF ADDRESS

NY Times Puzzle Mania

Joel Fagliano

 

Each word or phrase below anagrams to a U.S. state capital plus its postal code. For example, if given ED DROVE, you would answer DOVER, DE.

 

1. END COVER

2. MAN BOOTS

3. MORALES

4. RESPIRED

5. LARGE CHIN

6. MINI SLANG

7. SWAN IDIOM

8. SHALL INVENT

9. FATAL SEASHELL

10. ARCANE MASCOT

 

Answers:

 

1. DENVER, CO

2. BOSTON, MA

3. SALEM, OR

4. PIERRE, SD

5. RALEIGH, NC

6. LANSING, MI

7. MADISON, WI

8. NASHVILLE, TN

9. TALLAHASSEE, FL  

10. SACRAMENTO, CA 

 

 

NPR Weekend Edition Sunday Puzzle

December 14, 2025

Will Shortz (modified)

 

Concealed in each sentence below is the name of a U.S. city, with the letters in correct, consecutive order. 

 

For example: The bodybuilders will be flexing tonight.

                       the bodybuilders will be fLEXING TONight - LEXINGTON

 

The name of the state in which the hidden city is located is given as a hint below the clues - in this case - KENTUCKY.

 

1. Space enthusiasts support landing on Mars in the near future.

 

2. Contact your insurance branch or agent if you have questions.

 

3. The sweaters and coats are on sale from today to next Sunday. 

 

4. The political corruption trial ended in a sudden verdict.

 

5. I bought a shamrock for decorating my house for St. Patrick's Day.

 

6. Today, all the things we thought we knew have now changed.

 

7. Can you help a software developer learn better social skills?

 

HINTS:
States in which the hidden cities are located:

1. Oregon

2. Alaska

3. Ohio

4. Colorado

5. Illinois

6. Connecticut

7. Texas

 

Answers:

 

1. support landing - PORTLAND

2. branch or agent - ANCHORAGE

3. today to next - DAYTON

4. sudden verdict - DENVER

5. shamrock for decorating - ROCKFORD

6. knew have now - NEW HAVEN

7. help a software - EL PASO  

Universal Crossword

November 6, 2025

Dario Salvucci

 

Each word below is related to a US state according go a certain pattern. Can you see the pattern and name the states?

 

1. SMILED 

2. BRIGADE

3. PROPANE

4. PREPAYING 

5. DELEGATES

6. DOMINATION 

7. CONVALESCE 

 

Answer:

 

Each word contains the postal abbreviation of a US state surrounded by another word:

 

1. SMILED = MI + SLED

2. BRIGADE = GA + BRIDE

3. PROPANE = PA + PRONE

4. PREPAYING = PA + PREYING 

5. DELEGATES = GA + DELETES

6. DOMINATION = MI + DONATION 

7. CONVALESCE = NV + COALESCE  

  

NPR Weekend Edition Sunday Puzzle

October 26, 2025

Will Shortz 

 

Change the first and last letters of each word below to get the name of a major U.S. city. 

 

Ex: JURORS - AURORA (Colorado or Illinois)

 

1. BALLAD

2. MOST OF

3. CUNEAL

4. KOPEKS

5. SIERRA

6. RELENT

7. NUNCIO

8. NUGENT

9. FUR HAT

10. RUSTIC

 

Answers:

 

1. DALLAS

2. BOSTON

3. JUNEAU

4. TOPEKA

5. PIERRE

6. HELENA

7. MUNCIE

8. EUGENE

9. DURHAM

10. AUSTIN 

U.S. STATE ABBREVIATIONS II

Every U.S. state has a two-letter postal abbreviation. Some states inadvertently contain the postal abbreviations of other states. For example, CALIFORNIA hides within it Alabama AL, Oregon OR, and Iowa IA. 

For each group below, identify the state whose name contains the postal abbreviations for all the states in that group.

1. Colorado, Maine, Nebraska

2. Colorado, Nebraska, Utah

3. Delaware, Louisiana, North Dakota

4. Idaho, Rhode Island, Oregon

5. Indiana, Massachusetts, Nebraska

6. Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska 

Answers:

1. NEW MEXICO

2. CONNECTICUT

3. RHODE ISLAND

4. FLORIDA

5. MAINE

6. MINNESOTA  

 

Which state is the odd one out and why?

Missouri

Wisconsin

Mississippi

Texas

Nebraska 

 

Answer:

 

Texas is the odd state out. The others have capital cities named after Presidents:

 

Jefferson City, Missouri

Madison, Wisconsin

Jackson, Mississippi

Lincoln, Nebraska  

U.S. STATE ABBREVIATIONS I

Every U.S. state has a two-letter postal abbreviation. Some state names inadvertently contain the postal abbreviations of other states. For instance, ALABAMA hides within it LA (Louisiana) and MA (Massachusetts). 

For each group below, identify the state whose name contains the postal abbreviations for all the states in that group.

1. Alabama, Iowa, Oregon

2. Arkansas, California, Indiana, Oregon

3. Arkansas, California, Indiana, Utah

4. Arkansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, North Dakota

5. Arkansas, Louisiana, Washington

6. Colorado, Indiana, South Carolina

Answers:

1. CALIFORNIA

2. NORTH CAROLINA

3. SOUTH CAROLINA

4. MARYLAND

5. DELAWARE

6. WISCONSIN  

 

 

 

NEW YORK CITIES

Complete the names of New York cities by answering the clues in parentheses and placing the correct answers onto the blanks.

1. __________ ALO

    (Polish)

 

2. OSW __________

    (Conceit)

 

3. __________ ING

    (Maize)

 

4. RO __________ ER

          (Trunk)

 

5. PEEK __________

               (Talent)

 

6. __________ IDA

    (Undivided)

 

7. __________ IRA

    (Shade tree)

 

8. U __________ A

        (Muscle spasm)

 

9. __________ VA

    (Heredity unit) 

 

Answers:
 

1. BUFFALO 

2. OSWEGO 

3. CORNING 

4. ROCHESTER

5. PEEKSKILL

6. ONEIDA

7. ELMIRA

8. UTICA

9. GENEVA  

 

The first four letters of two U.S. states, respectively, spell a male and female name.What are the names and the states?

Answers:

KENTucky

MARYland  

 

  

CHAIN OF STATES 

 

GAMES/World of Puzzles

May, 2025

Bill Roland 

 

(According to the constructor), the longest possible list of U.S. states where the last letter of one is the first letter of the next is 13 states. The first seven will be in a fixed order. The last six can be arranged in different ways, but all are required to complete the list of 13.

 

HINT: Start with UTAH. 

 

(Possible) Solution:

 

1. Utah

2. Hawaii

3. Idaho

4. Ohio

5. Oregon

6. New York

7. Kansas 

8. South Dakota

9. Alabama

10. Alaska

11. Arizona

12. Arkansas

13. South Carolina* 

 

* The two "South" states can be interchanged, and the four "A" states can be listed in any order. 

ABBREVIATED TRIPS

Use the description of each trip below to form a word by using the postal abbreviations of the states of the two cities (in order) and putting a letter in the middle. 

Example: I was burning up on by trip from Orlando to Bar Harbor 

                 Orlando is in Florida (FL) and Bar Harbor is in Maine (ME)

                 Add a letter in the middle (A)

                 FL A ME - FLAME (burning up)

 

My trip from ..........

 

1. Denver to Albany was like a dumb joke

2. Boise to Birmingham was perfect

3. Little Rock to Boston was smelly

4. St. Louis to Topeka was scorned 

5. Seattle to Lexington was crazy

6. Charleston to Jackson was a ripoff

7. Independence to Fargo was piling up 

8. Boulder to Bend  was bright and vivid

9. Montgomery to Omaha was by myself

10. Providence to Louisville was dangerous 

11. Key West to Peoria was thrashed around

12. Cambridge to Wichita was with Karl and Groucho

 

Answers:

 

1. CO R NY - CORNY

2. ID E AL - IDEAL

3. AR O MA - AROMA

4. MO C KS - MOCKS

5. WA C KY - WACKY

6. SC A MS - SCAMS

7. MO U ND - MOUND

8. CO L OR - COLOR

9. AL O NE - ALONE

10. RI S KY - RISKY

11. FL A IL - FLAIL

12. MA R KS - MARKS 

 

Can you name the four states whose capital city begins with the same letter as the name of the state?

Answer:

1. Delaware (Dover)

2. Hawaii (Honolulu)

3. Indiana (Indianapolis)

4. Oklahoma (Oklahoma City) 

Each phrase below can be anagrammed into a U.S. state.

1. IOU A SNAIL

2. EEL AWARD

3. COWS IN SIN

4. LOOK A HAM

5. RHINO SADDLE

Answers:

1. IOU A SNAIL - LOUISIANA

2. EEL AWARD - DELAWARE

3. COWS IN SIN - WISCONSIN

4. LOOK A HAM - OKLAHOMA

5. RHINO SADDLE - RHODE ISLAND

Four U.S. states have _______ City capitals. One other U.S. capital city has two words, and three have name that are "compound" words - that is, they can be broken into two words each. What are the cities? 

Answers:

Carson City, NV

Jefferson City, MO

Oklahoma, City, OK

Salt Lake City, UT

 

Baton Rouge, LA

Frankfort, KY

Hartford, CT

Springfield, IL

MYSTERY LIST

GAMES Magazine

July, 2011

Mike Graczyk

If ..... 

Maine = 1

Florida = 2

California = 3

Montana = 4

Nevada = 5

Iowa = 6

Kentucky = 7, 

what two states would equal 0, and what two states would equal 8?

Answers:

 

Hawaii and Alaska = 0, and Missouri and Tennessee = 8:

 

The list is that of states and the number of other states they border.

U.S. Cities That Are Hard to Spell

1. ALBUQUERQUE

2. CINCINNATI

3. CHATTANOOGA

4. DES MOINES

5. DUBUQUE (Iowa)

6. DUCHESNE (Utah)

7. EAU CLAIRE (Wisconsin)

8. MILWAUKEE

9. MINNEAPOLIS

10. NACOGDOCHES (Texas)

11. OJAI (California)

12. POUGHKEEPSIE (New York)

13. SAULT SAINTE MARIE (Michigan)

14. SKANEATELES (New York_

15. TERRE HAUTE (Indiana)

16. TUCSON

17. ZZYZX (California)

 

PSA (POSTAL SERVICE

APTITUDE) TEST II 

GAMES Magazine

April, 1998

Thomas L. Seibert

 

The two given letters in the clues below are the postal abbreviation of a state. Fill in the blanks with the name of a city located in that state. 

 

For example, _ A _ _ _ _ _ K _ 

AK is the abbreviation for Alaska.

FAIRBANKS is a city in Alaska.

1. _ OR _ _ _ _ _

2. _ _ _ ND   _ _ _ _ _

3. _ _ N _ H _ _ _ _ _

4. _ R _ _ I _ _ _ _ _

5. T _ X _ _ _ _ _ _

6. W _ _ _ _   _ A _ _ _

7. _ _ _ T _ _ N _ _ _ _

8. N _ _  _ _ _ _  _ _ _ Y

9. P _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ A

10. F _ _ _   _ _ _ _ _ _ _  _L _

Answers:

 

1. PORTLAND

2. GRAND FORKS

3. MANCHESTER

4. PROVIDENCE

5. TEXARKANA

6. WALLA WALLA

7. CHATTANOOGA

8. NEW YORK CITY

9. PHILADELPHIA

10. FORT LAUDERDALE

 

PSA (POSTAL SERVICE

APTITUDE) TEST I

GAMES Magazine

April, 1998

Thomas L. Seibert

 

It's getting harder to get a job with the U.S. Postal Service. They have issued a new aptitude test for those seeking employment: A list of prominent cities with all the letters missing except the two letters that make up the postal abbreviation for the state in which the city is located. For example, in #1 below, AL is the postal abbreviation for Alabama, and the city in question is TUSCALOOSA. How many cities can you identify?

1. _ _ _ _ AL _ _ _ _

2. _ _ C _ A _ _ _ _ _

3. D _ _ E _

4. _ A _ _ _ _ _ K _ 

5. _ _ G _ _ _ A

6. HI _ _

7._ _ _ I _ _ _ _ _ L _

8. I _ _ _ _ N _ _ _ _ _ _

9. _ _ _    _ _ L _ A _ _

10. M _ _ N _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Answers:

 

1. TUSCALOOSA

2. SACRAMENTO

3. DOVER

4. FAIRBANKS

5. AUGUSTA

6. HILO

7. SPRINGFIELD

8. INDIANAPOLIS

9. NEW ORLEANS

10. MINNEAPOLIS

Can you think up an absurd, but somehow appropriate, city name to go with each state? The state name can either be spelled out or abbreviated in any standard form - past or present - whichever works best to produce the best combination.

Examples: Ark. - Noahs Ark.

                  ME - Who, ME

                  Cal. - Low Cal.

                  Texas - Income, Texas

 

1. Alaska

2. Ha.

3. Kans.

4. LA

5. Mass.

6. Minn.

7. Miss.

8. NY

9. O.

10. OK

11. OR

12. Tenn.

13. Ver.

14. Wash.

15. WY

Answers:

 

1. Dunno, Alaska

2. Aloe, Ha.

3. Aluminum, Kans.

4. Oola, LA

5. Critical, Mass.

6. Vita, Minn.

7. Hitter, Miss.

8. Teenytie, NY

9. Daddy, O.

10. Mighty, OK

11. Either, OR

12. Quarterto, Tenn.

13. Nowerne, Ver.

14. Carr, Wash.

15. Tellme, WY 

 

Credit:
GAMES Magazine

July, 1983

John McArthur

(A favorite family game)