Questions tagged [language]
A puzzle that heavily depends on linguistic features; for instance it may concern foreign languages, or only work in some particular language, or be built around a peculiarity of the English language.
442
questions
4
votes
1
answer
389
views
Five element puzzle
Born from water sun stone be B.
Five elements are ki.
The first give three, the rest he.
In five symbols, eight see.
From them form, evidently
That which is written for thee.
- 652
1
vote
1
answer
189
views
Themed Boggle Grids Continued
This puzzle is part of the Monthly Topic Challenge #7: Board games.
Click here for the rules.
Here are some more themed Boggle grids that I created or discovered. Some of these may be references to ...
- 2,531
7
votes
1
answer
416
views
They are all K-verbs
Find the missing verb.
G: Fold, Break, Pry
D: Reduce, Vibrate, Rob
B: Soak, Subtract, Thrash
J: Sleep, Squeeze, ?
Subtle Hint:
Moderate Hint:
Decisive Hint:
- 3,591
14
votes
1
answer
416
views
PSE Advent Calendar 2022 (Day 21): Color of the Bells
This puzzle is part of the Puzzling Stack Exchange Advent Calendar 2022. The accepted answer to this question will be awarded a bounty worth 50 reputation.< Previous Door Next Door >
A Motley ...
- 13.8k
13
votes
1
answer
437
views
PSE Advent Calendar 2022 (Day 9): International Christmas Crossword
This puzzle is part of the Puzzling Stack Exchange Advent Calendar 2022. The accepted answer to this question will be awarded a bounty worth 50 reputation.< Previous Door Next Door >
Languages
...
- 660
8
votes
0
answers
415
views
Cookie Unionization
My Christmas cookies are gone! When I came into the kitchen this morning, the box was empty. All that remained were a few crumbs and this note:
We absconded.
You never saw that coming, did you? Well, ...
- 399
1
vote
0
answers
212
views
Clues don't lie?
What are we?
I am a b-ball player in a... (9)
My prefix is a French degree,
My infix is in Britain, misleadingly,
My suffix is above you,
But my whole is behind. (6)
A country that recently changed ...
- 1,291
7
votes
1
answer
301
views
Gathering for fraternities and sororities
This puzzle is part of the Monthly Topic Challenge #4: Cross-*non*-words
I've already got two crosswords for the challenge.
Recently, the fraternities, the sororities and I worked together to make a ...
- 2,531
2
votes
1
answer
299
views
What does the neo-futurist poetry mean?
This puzzle is part of the Monthly Topic Challenge #4: Cross-*non*-words
May 4 be in 6.
May the ...
- 2,531
25
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Strange Glyphs From Another Time
The following glyphs were recently uncovered at a dig site, which have stumped cryptographers and linguists alike. These symbols are guessed to be some sort of ancient language, but nothing is yet ...
- 491
0
votes
1
answer
105
views
Di Ritorno (I think?)
I am return.
In other news, use Eurovision rankings.
Also, here's the weekly spelling list (etymologies inclusive):
psephology, Greek
caixinha, Portuguese
auftaktigkeit, German
gopak, Russ. from ...
- 1,291
1
vote
0
answers
766
views
Terminal 00 sacred words / witch id riddle, [closed]
I found this website angusnicneven.com, dug through it and found a page witch requires a witch ID and sacred words. The page I found this text on is https://angusnicneven.com/...
- 11
23
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Formal Languages
This puzzle is part of the Monthly Topic Challenge #1: Restricted Title: xkcd 1xxx
Emmy prefers when you are formal.
Tua’s fathseir
▢▢▢◯▢ ◯▢◯▢▢
They jotú in cheress
▢▢◯▢▢▢◯
Duge where some were ...
- 13.8k
9
votes
1
answer
758
views
Emotional Depth
Clifford in his 35th book? (4 3)
Shrek's pep? (4 6)
So-called "Sidney"'s sadness about cookie inevitability? (Pardon my French) (7 5)
What do these characters display?
...
- 13.8k
8
votes
11
answers
2k
views
Beware of raining cephalopods
The picture depicts a real traffic sign painted in South Africa.
It was intended to be an official traffic sign - but the painter, being unfamiliar with them, painted this according to the brief he ...
- 625
3
votes
3
answers
371
views
Watching out over my domain
What is the word?
Watching out over my domain
Angry, behold my train
Zooming forth with refrain
Oh, I see you
What am I? How many hints can you find?
Hint:
Hint:
Hint:
- 145
-2
votes
2
answers
414
views
FIND 4 sets of 5-letter words using these non-repeating letters: [closed]
Find 4 sets of 5-letter words using these non-repeating letters:
N, C, A, V, M, S, E, Y, U, R, O, F, G, T, I, L, H, K, P, D
10
votes
5
answers
927
views
An animal, posed in a poem
I might sound fe_ _ _ _
Yet I'm in the opposite.
Do not count my _ _ _ _s
It was one originally.
But you can spell out
A bright star in me!
And please be sure that you're
Going to the right direction!
...
- 3,591
1
vote
0
answers
157
views
A wall of friendly, smiling rileys?
My prefix is another country, known for me,
My infix is a response, not dangerously,
My suffix is a scream, or a rush, for memes,
And my whole is the key.
My prefix is in this clue,
My infix is at ...
- 1,291
6
votes
1
answer
249
views
An image filled with circles
Here is an image. My question is simple: what is this? (As a side note, I did not invent this, and it was not intended by its creator to be a puzzle.)
PS: If you believe you have solved it, see if ...
- 501
-4
votes
1
answer
149
views
I am the leader of the alphabet [closed]
A simple one-liner:
I am the leader of the alphabet.
What am I?
- 562
5
votes
1
answer
349
views
Reading 2424 in Japanese
Celebrating twenty-four!
The answer is numerical.
Hint:
Ambiguous Hint:
- 15.3k
4
votes
1
answer
235
views
One in a million: a musical charm
Here's a simple riddle I came up with myself. If this puzzle already exists elsewhere on the Web, please forgive me, I didn't know about it.
As a whole, I'm charmed. Remove two letters from the start ...
7
votes
1
answer
713
views
Language Barrier - A study on languages
(Author Note) A while ago I made some puzzles for a now defunct puzzle hunt project, here's one of them. The answer to this (and some other puzzles of said hunt) is two words. The puzzle itself is ...
- 6,515
12
votes
2
answers
367
views
2
votes
2
answers
430
views
What is a gksrnrdj Word?
This is in the spirit of the What is a Word/Phrase™ series started by JLee with a special brand of Phrase™ and Word™ puzzles.
If a word conforms to a special rule, I call it a gksrnrdj Word™.
Use the ...
- 2,531
9
votes
1
answer
246
views
Massively multilingual Euro crossword
The clues in this crossword are in 18 different European languages: English, Belarusian, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Portuguese, ...
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6
votes
3
answers
9k
views
What dictionary is Wordle based on?
The US Scrabble dictionary only has 9,000ish 5 letter words, of which a good portion are plurals, and then there's the list of "dead" words in the code and then most of these words are not &...
- 61
28
votes
1
answer
978
views
PSE Advent Calendar 2021 (Day 11): What Child – Er, Game Is This?
This puzzle is part of the Puzzling StackExchange Advent Calendar 2021. The accepted answer to this question will be awarded a bounty worth 50 reputation.< Previous Door Next Door >
I. The story
...
- 3,329
17
votes
1
answer
1k
views
A week around Europe
I've recently returned from a week of travelling around Europe, visiting a different town or city in a different country on each day, choosing my destinations according to an underlying pattern. I've ...
- 117k
3
votes
2
answers
456
views
I thought morse code was dead?
My computer went on the fritz earlier today and all of my messages were being sent in what looked like morse code. I recorded a few test messages to confirm my suspicions once the anomaly ended and to ...
- 10.5k
0
votes
1
answer
117
views
Exploring the Myrmidon's Hive
While getting stuff from the basement, you find a panel concealing a tunnel leading into a myrmidon hive. This discovery, along with the overall freshness of the tunnel, prompts you to go find out if ...
- 1,125
12
votes
1
answer
731
views
Left wanting more
This is part 14 of the puzzle series that started at Living the traveller's dream. This is the final puzzle in the series and solving it requires knowing the answers to the previous puzzles.
Previous ...
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4
votes
5
answers
342
views
Three riddles of a common (and repetitive) format
What do you call it when a historically discredited means of contraceptive is vindicated by new research?
I was just looking over my son's book report on speed reading strategies; what are you doing ...
- 1,848
2
votes
1
answer
503
views
You should mind your P's first
This should be short and sweet.
Given his strength, he must be the almighty. Given his health, he must use ointments. Given his status, should we board his ark?
Hint 1:
Hint 2:
Hint 3:
Hint 4:
...
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-2
votes
2
answers
253
views
Prefixes of French words in the Princeton linguistics challenge
Source
I am unable to come up with a complete solution. No outside knowledge is said to be required for the solution to this puzzle.
My observations:
words which are not without a prefix only have ré ...
10
votes
1
answer
360
views
Fire and Vengeance
"Daring" Ashe surveyed the towering structures and stagnant open spaces of the Temple of the Giraffes, licking her lips. On a previous expedition she'd sneaked away a bejewelled treasure, ...
- 6,784
1
vote
4
answers
800
views
Bread is bread but
Bread is bread but what bread you can't eat?
Bridges are bridges but what bridge doesn't connect two landmasses?
Paper is paper but what paper you can't write on?
Candies are candies but what candy ...
- 258
6
votes
0
answers
422
views
Answer to the question: "Who Wins?"
Crié ala caleverti
miku'ilatmo
doci
pramilerfu
Hint:
Non-Youtube description of video contents (for accessibility/posterity purposes):
- 1,848
11
votes
1
answer
671
views
I saw what's yours
Pair up the following ten words:
Arabic
french fries
gray
monthly
ninety-nine
paying
rent
smooth
whatever
yellow
Hint, added later:
Another hint, added even later:
Another hint, added even later:
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3
votes
0
answers
207
views
An Assortment of Letters
Can you figure out how I've split the below letters into their groups?
Group 1
Group 2
D H L S
F P T Y
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
C D H J N P V W Y
L T M
S B R
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Group ...
- 3,065
3
votes
2
answers
284
views
Country Outliers
You are given a note from a language nerd, which is:
If Japan is 239,
Then Germany is 4.
Greece is 14,
While Italy is 3.
Now, Philippines has 412.
But Norway has 2357!
Now you are given 3 questions:
...
- 1,404
1
vote
2
answers
309
views
Simple language rebuses
What 2-word associates with this rebus? (actually not a rebus)
also: What word associates with this rebus?
Hints:
- 1,404
-3
votes
1
answer
128
views
What is a Number Word™?
This is in the spirit of the What is a Word/Phrase™ series started by JLee, with a special brand of Phrase™ and Word™ puzzles.
If a word conforms to a special rule, I call it a Number Word™.
Use the ...
- 1,404
6
votes
1
answer
247
views
Hangman: Reverse Edition
Put a P, then Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva will turn a goddess into this.
Put an R, you speak it more than writing it.
Put a T, I become e-learning.
Put a G, then I become a floor.
If you're new to ...
- 1,404
10
votes
2
answers
366
views
Wordsmiths & Wyverns
You awaken in a foul crypt with only the following items at your disposal...
ROPE, BOOTS, AMULET, MAP, FLAIL, CHAIN, CUP, BELL, STAFF, RING, CODEC, RUM, FLUTE
You also have the following tools.
Awl (...
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0
votes
2
answers
114
views
What do these three towns have in common?
What do these three towns have in common?
"Dublin", "Blackpool", "Chernobyl".
- 165
4
votes
1
answer
230
views
Decipher the language
An alien planet called EMJ-26 has an alphabet that has letters switched around. Their language is identical to english but they use different letters.
Here are the names of some countries on earth ...
- 453
4
votes
1
answer
409
views
PRINCESS CONNECT! wall
I wanted to make an anime-themed visual connect wall, but chickened out from including copyrighted images...so here is a much harder version of it, that is also no longer visual. Never tried to make a ...
6
votes
1
answer
433
views
First Riddle Attempt
My prefix is young.
Is also a clipping.
And will likely never have a crush.
My suffix is well known and multiply defined in mathematics.
It is defined in Geometry, Arithmetic operations, Group Theory ...
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