Puzzle Column Explores Statistical Deception and Wordplay
9 reported
A puzzle column published by The Guardian on June 22, 2026, presented three puzzles about deception, along with their solutions. The first puzzle, titled "Super syllabus," described a scenario where a school cohort's median grade dropped from C to D after a new syllabus, despite every pupil's grade improving. The solution involved new pupils joining the cohort and scoring lower grades. The second puzzle, "Peculiar poll," illustrated Simpson's Paradox using data from two market research polls of 125 people each. Although both polls individually showed a policy was more popular among men, combining the data reversed the trend, showing it was more popular among women. The third puzzle, "Anguish Languish," featured a wordplay language created by US linguist Howard L. Chase, where English texts are replaced with similar-sounding nonsense words. Readers submitted examples, with the winner being a nursery rhyme translation. The column also promoted the book "You Don't Know What You're M ss ng" by Kit Yates, available for £22.50.
What’s reported
The puzzle column was published on June 22, 2026, by The Guardian.
The first puzzle involved a school cohort where the median grade dropped from C to D despite every pupil improving, due to new pupils joining.
The second puzzle used data from Smith Surveys and Jones Polls, each polling 125 people, to demonstrate Simpson's Paradox.
Smith Surveys data: 21/25 men (84%) and 80/100 women (80%) supported the policy.
Jones Polls data: 22/100 men (22%) and 5/25 women (20%) supported the policy.
Combined totals: 43/125 men (34%) and 85/125 women (68%) supported the policy, showing it was more popular among women.
The third puzzle featured "Anguish Languish," a language created by US linguist Howard L. Chase.
The winning submission was a nursery rhyme translation by Edward Barrett.
The book "You Don't Know What You're M ss ng" by Kit Yates is available for £22.50.
Key figures
Howard L. Chase, US linguist, creator of Anguish Languish
Kit Yates, author of "You Don't Know What You're M ss ng"
Edward Barrett, winner of the puzzle contest
Sources: The Guardian
