Word puzzle solutions reveal homonyms and heteronyms
5 reported
A puzzle column published earlier today presented two word puzzles, with solutions now provided. The first puzzle asked readers to find five letters of the English alphabet that have homonyms—words pronounced the same but spelled differently—that do not contain the letter they sound like. The second puzzle listed pairs of meanings for words that are spelled the same but pronounced differently, known as heteronyms. The solutions for both puzzles were given in the article.
What’s reported
The first puzzle involved finding homonyms for five letters (excluding “a”) that do not contain the letter they sound like.
The solutions for the first puzzle are: Q (cue), U (ewe or yew), I (eye), C (see or sea), K (cay).
The article notes that a sixth possibility, X (Ecks, plural of Eck), was considered but proper names do not count per Scrabble rules.
The second puzzle listed 12 pairs of meanings for heteronyms, with solutions in alphabetical order: alternate, appropriate, content, delegate, discount, entrance, invalid, minute, present, produce, refuse, upset.
The puzzle column has been running on alternate Mondays since 2015.
Key figures
Gerry Reynolds (credited as source for puzzle 1)
Ryan McCormack (credited as source for puzzle 2)
Sources: The Guardian
