As summer rolls into the Northern Hemisphere, you’ll want plenty of fresh puzzles. I’ve got you covered. This week, flex your word-play muscles with Color Code, tackle Impostor Syndrome, and dust off your pop-culture trivia knowledge with Seeing Stars? Finally, I've created three fresh visual puzzles
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
You sit down to brainstorm ideas for your next puzzle book. You fire up ChatGPT, type "Give me 15 fresh word search themes," and hit enter. The suggestions roll in—music genres, animals, seasonal activities. They look good. They feel familiar. Maybe too familiar. Three books later, you
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What Makes a Puzzle “Replayable”—and Should It Be? Activity books often mix in specialty puzzles alongside standard formats. I often notice only one or two of these oddballs in a given book, but those are what I consider "replayable" in spirit. Not because the same puzzle is
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Here is a quiet note for you. Mothers Day evokes different feelings for each of us. I hope that you find joy and peace on this day. To mark the occasion, here are a few puzzles. Enjoy! Mothers Day PuzzlesThree Themed PuzzlesMothers Day Puzzles.pdf7 MBdownload-circle
Twin Blitz is a fast-paced visual puzzle where you scan 16 tiles, each filled with a mix of quirky symbols. One pair is an exact match, tap both before the clock runs out. It’s a satisfying challenge for sharp eyes and quick fingers. Play now
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
Summary: When LLMs Meet Letter Insertion: A Case Study I wanted to know if ChatGPT could help me brainstorm a list of word pairs, where the second word differed from the first by the insertion of a single letter between the first and second letters of the first word, such
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My dad taught me how much fun it is to make games from stuff lying around the house. He cut open two album covers and taped them together to make a large, foldable board. Then he cut the corners from an entire deck of cards so that only the suit
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
Ever stare at a long list of potential puzzle names, themes, or concepts and feel completely stuck on which to choose? You're not alone. As puzzle designers, we often generate dozens of creative options, but the selection process can become overwhelming. When faced with too many good options,
The Magnificent Mulberry Portal is the 9th Wonder of the World - a mysterious botanical anomaly discovered centuries ago that defies all scientific explanation. Despite countless expeditions by the world's greatest botanists, physicists, and adventurers, nobody has ever fully understood how it works. Professor Penelope Pemberwick came closest
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What Are Visual Puzzles? Visual puzzles come in all shapes and sizes. In this issue, I'll talk about a few, link to others and then share a special collection of my best puzzles (some are reprints.) Optical Illusions These are not really puzzles, but they are visual curiosities
What is it like to be a Crossword puzzle? Behind the grid of any puzzle hides a persona that is as rich and varied as a novelist's character. While displaying the traits of its constructor, a crossword puzzle's personality also reflects its environment. It may smile
Brevity is the soul of abbreviation Tvtropes.org describes Hurricane of Puns and cautions against its use. Apparently, I'm a self-proclaimed Pungeon Master. I must confess a weakness for puns that is exceeded only by my fondness for anagrams. (Thanks, Pop!) This morning was a good Friday, when