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Hard Brain Teasers

Can You Solve These Mysterious Spelling Puzzles?

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These hard brain teasers are challenging puzzles that upper grades students and adults can usually solve in a relatively short amount of time. The trick is to read and understand each clue, then decide which one can be solved first, second and so on. 

For your convenience, you can read the puzzles here or print them out and use paper and pencil to -- hopefully -- arrive at the right answers.

Printable version of both Hard Brain Teasers

Answers

Mysterious Spelling 1

Mysterious Spelling 1, a hard brain teaser from www.spelling-words-well.com

A.   Read the clues carefully. Spell an 8-letter mystery word using this set of clues.

table for an eight-letter word, eight numbered spaces

1. The second and fourth letters of the mystery word are the same.

 2. The first letter of the mystery word comes alphabetically right before the seventh letter in the mystery word.

confused person switching two papers back and forth

3. The seventh letter of the mystery word comes alphabetically just before the sixth letter in the mystery word.

4. The eighth letter of the mystery word is the third vowel in the alphabet.

5. The second letter of the mystery word is the second letter in a word that sounds like bear.

6. The seventh letter of the mystery word is the first letter in the 11th month of the year.

7. The fifth letter of the mystery word is the fourth letter in the second month of the year.

8. The third letter of the mystery word sounds like the word for a large body of water.

MACARONI


Mysterious Spelling #2

Mysterious Spelling 2, a hard brain teaser from www.spelling-words-well.com

B.   Read the clues carefully. Spell an 8-letter mystery word using this set of clues.

table for an eight-letter word, eight numbered spaces

1. The letter P appears twice in this word.

2. The 4th letter of the mystery word is also the first letter in the names of two days of the week.

man in lab coat with clipboard and lots of questions

3. The 8th letter of the mystery word is also the first letter in the names of two days of the week. It is not the same as the 4th letter of the mystery word.

4. The 2nd letter of the mystery word is the 12th letter of the alphabet.

5. The 3rd letter of the mystery word is the first letter in a word that is a homonym for heir.

6. The 6th and 7th letters of the mystery word, when reversed, spell a two-letter word that means the opposite of down.

7. The 5th letter of the mystery word is one that be used as either a vowel or a consonant.

PLATYPUS


More Hard Brain Teasers

green and yellow question mark

Brain Teaser Questions and Answers - Quick word transformations, brainstorming and word play challenges

The Message  & Reply - Two REALLY difficult letters with hidden messages. Good spelling skills are the key to uncovering them!

man carrying lots of luggage

Travel Teaser - A very challenging puzzle to test your spelling and logic skills.  If there are no misspellings in a statement, it is true, but how well do you know how to spell some of these spelling demons?

An Impossible Brain Teaser? - Sure, the directions are tricky, but adults and upper grade students can solve this the first time, right?

Elephant with string tied around his fingers, trying to remember something

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