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Sunday Puzzle: Palindrome Zone

Sunday Puzzle
NPR
Sunday Puzzle

On-air challenge: Every answer today is a 7-letter palindrome in two words — reading backward and forward the same. Get the palindromes from their clues.

Ex. #1 position (3,4) --> TOP SPOT

1. Indianapolis 500 vehicle (4,3)

2. Vehicle for taking sailors to Annapolis (4,3)

3. Very, very angry (4,3)

4. Call 911, e.g. (4,3)

Last week's challenge: Last week's challenge comes from listener Bob Bickel, of Severna Park, Md. Think of a five-letter word for things a lot of people complain about. Add a letter and rearrange the result to get an example of these things. Then add one more letter and rearrange to get a remedy for these things. Five, six, and seven letters, respectively. What words are these?

Challenge answer: Pains --> sprain --> aspirin

Winner: Karen Brock of Lawrence, KS.

This week's challenge: A tough one from listener Joe Becker, of Palo Alto, Calif. The "zh" sound can be spelled in many different ways in English — like the "s" in MEASURE; like the "g" in BEIGE; like the "z" in AZURE; like the "j" in MAHARAJAH; and like the "x" in LUXURY as some people pronounce it. The "zh" sound can also be spelled as a "t" in one instance. We know of only one common word this is true of, not counting its derivatives. What word is it?

Submit Your Answer

If you know the answer to the challenge, submit it here by Thursday, May 4th at 3 p.m. ET. Listeners whose answers are selected win a chance to play the on-air puzzle. Important: Include a phone number where we can reach you.

Produced by Lennon Sherburne contributed to this story

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

NPR's Puzzlemaster Will Shortz has appeared on Weekend Edition Sunday since the program's start in 1987. He's also the crossword editor of The New York Times, the former editor of Games magazine, and the founder and director of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (since 1978).