NPR’s Sunday Puzzle Challenges Listeners with State Abbreviation Riddles

Washington, D.C. — NPR‘s Ayesha Rascoe hosted the Sunday Puzzle on November 9, 2025, inviting listeners to solve clever riddles based on U.S. state postal abbreviations. This week, participants were challenged to identify familiar two-word phrases or names where the first two letters of each word match the postal abbreviation of a state.

Among the state-based riddles, the answer for Florida was identified as ‘COmmon COld,’ a common ailment with no cure. Other examples included ‘aid in seeing the road when it rains’ for Wisconsin, and ‘star of M*A*S*H’ for Alabama, referring to Alan Alda.

Listeners enjoyed the innovative twist on traditional puzzles, especially as they engaged with a variety of answers. The episode even included historical references, as a deep-blue gem with a Latin name represented Louisiana.

Participants were reminded that last week’s challenge also involved anagrams and letters. Andrew Chaikin from San Francisco asked listeners to name a popular automobile import and transform it to discover a well-known ethnic food. A solution provided was ‘Kia Soul + V = Souvlaki.’

Another playful challenge came from Mark Scott of Seattle, encouraging individuals to think of famous actresses and to interchange the first and last letters of their names for a humorous result. Those who know the answers to these challenges were encouraged to submit them by November 13 at 3 p.m. ET for a chance to play the on-air puzzle.