You can change HEAT into COLD by changing one letter at a time, always making a new word as you go along: HEAT, HEAD, HELD, HOLD, BOLD, COLD.

How many steps will it take you to change the word PAWS into the word SWAP?

Answer

BEAR   BRONCO   BROWN   EAGLE   LION   PANTHER   PATRIOT   RAM   RAVEN   VIKING

Which football player…

1) … spells another word backwards?

2) … becomes something you wear on your head when you change the first letter to the next letter in the alphabet?

3) … contains a word meaning “group of three?”

4) … sounds like a word meaning “naked?”

5) … is an animal that can become a new animal when you add a letter at the start?

6) … contains a three-letter abbreviation meaning “street?”

7) … contains in its middle a three-letter boy’s name?

8) … has a name whose first half consists entirely of Roman numerals?

9) … is an animal that contains another animal within it?

10) … becomes a word meaning “swimsuit” when you change the first and last letters?

Answer

I’m stealing this one from puzzle guru Merl Reagle:

You pluralize most words by adding an S at the end. But there is a common three-letter word you can pluralize by adding the letter C to it — not at the end but somewhere within the word. What word is this?

Answer

Take a five-letter word for something worn by girls. Change the second letter, and you’ll have a different article of clothing, worn by both boys and girls. What are these articles of clothing?

Answer

Try not to spend all day on this one… What word might come next in the following sequence?

ALMOND
STATUE
NEWLYWED
ENTHUSED
AFRICA
SATIN

Answer

You can change two letters in the word APPARATUS to make a different common word. The two letters are not consecutive. Can you figure out the other word?

(I stole this one from Ken Jennings.)

Answer

Each of the clues below will lead you to two different words — a five-letter word starting with S, and a four-letter word made by dropping that first letter. (For instance, SWORD and WORD, which might be clued as “Dictionary entry weapon.”) Either word might be clued first. Can you figure out all twelve sword pairs? I mean, word pairs?

1. Pointy stringed instrument
2. Number isn’t odd
3. Fire at an owl’s sound
4. Additional marshmallow-and-graham-cracker treat
5. Tiny shopping outlet
6. Inedible story
7. Fishing need shivered
8. Anger group of players
9. Tip over medicine
10. Study the night before and run!
11. Passageway will
12. Fruit goo

Answer

Each set of numbers below, when dialed on a phone keypad, will spell out the name of a breed of dog. For instance, the first set of numbers, 784, can be turned into the word PUG. You’ll have to figure out which of the three (or four) letters each digit stands for. Can you call up all the answers?

a. 784

b. 34646

c. 48759

d. 766353

e. 7646837

f. 244482482

g. 7726435

h. 322474863

Answer

Three city-related puzzles:

1. What two United States capitals rhyme with each other?

2. What city name can you make by unscrambling the word DIAGNOSE? (Hint: The city name has two words.)

3. What city name can you make with the word GAVELS, using each letter as often as you want? (This name is also two words.)

Answer