Local Listener Wins NPR Puzzle

Sharon Huck of Springfield, Illinois, won the recent on-air word challenge on WFDD.

The station broadcast a Categories game based on the word flags. Contestants were asked to provide items in four categories that start with the letters f, l, a, g, and s. The categories included makes of cars, islands, sitcoms, and a phrase ending in the word time.

The previous challenge asked listeners to combine a three-letter body part inside a four-letter body part to form a supermarket brand. The correct answer was Charm, which fits inside the word chin to create the brand name Charmin. Huck provided the correct response to that riddle.

The new puzzle was submitted by Mike Bertoglio of King County, Washington. He asked listeners to identify a famous living actor with an 11-letter last name. The solution requires repeating the first two letters of that name at the beginning. Listeners must then change the seventh letter of the actor's name to a P. The resulting word names a part of a garden.

Submissions for the current challenge are due by Thursday, November 12, 2027, at 3 p.m. ET. Participants must include a phone number where the station can reach them. Selected answers will receive a chance to play the puzzle live on air.