On-air challenge: Today's puzzle is a little unusual. It's all about "U" ... that is, the letter U. See how many of these U-related questions can you answer.
1. The names of two state capitals end in the letter U. What are they?
2. The word "you" sounds like the letter U, and it contains the letter U. What two words sound like the letter U but don't contain the letter?
3. Think of a common seven-letter word in which the first, third and fifth letters are all U's. (Hint: I said it in the first sentence of this puzzle's instructions.)
4. Think of a well-known seven-letter geographical name in which the first, third and fifth letters are all U's.
5. There is a common four-letter word with a silent U in the third position. What is it? (Hint: I've said the word a couple of times already!)
6. What common household item has a doubled U in its name — that is, two U's in a row?
7. Think of a 10-letter word starting with U that means "digging up." Drop the U, and the remaining nine letters will spell a two-word phrase that describes the moon in relation to the Earth.
Last week's challenge: The challenge was to create the shortest possible word ladder connecting LARGE to SMALL, changing one letter at a time, making a common, uncapitalized word each step of the way. Here's the tricky part: Plurals and verbs formed by adding -s are not allowed.
Challenge Answer: Large, sarge, serge, verge, verse, terse, tease, cease, chase, chasm, charm, chard, shard, share, stare, stale, stall, small (17 steps).
Winner: David Lillie of Buffalo, New York
This week's challenge: This week's challenge comes from listener Greg Lewis, of Columbus, Ind. Name part of the human body in seven letters. The first four letters, in order, spell a familiar boy's name. The second through fifth letters, in order, also spell a familiar boy's name. What body part is it?
If you know the answer to next week's challenge, submit it here. Listeners who submit correct answers win a chance to play the on-air puzzle. Important: Include a phone number where we can reach you by Thursday, April 23, at 3 p.m. ET.
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