Red Herring Puzzle 1,197
Answers

16 linked answers, in play order with letter counts.

MARCONI

All 16 answers

IN2 BI2 PB2 GA2 CéSAR6 JUNO4 EMMY4 MARCONI7 TONY4 POSH4 SWANKY6 CHIC4 ALPO4 BENEFUL7 AS2 BE2

Red Herring Puzzle 1,197 (August 12, 2023) sits in Red Herring 2023 and holds 16 words, the longest answer being MARCONI at 7 letters. That is a substantial board, enough that checking off what you already have is faster than re-reading the whole list.

Every answer below carries its letter count, which is the fastest way to match an empty slot: counting the squares in a gap and scanning for that exact length beats reading the list from the top. Answers are listed in the order the game accepts them, so the page reads the way the level plays.

6 of the 16 answers run to three letters or fewer, which is where levels like this are usually lost. The long answers go in quickly; it is the short ones filling the gaps between them that get missed, because they are easy to read straight past.

This puzzle sits in the 1,101–1,200 block, with puzzle 1,196 and puzzle 1,198 linked at the foot of the page.

Puzzle 1,197 at a glance
CollectionRed Herring 2023
Words here16
Longest answerMARCONI (7)
Shortest answerIN (2)
Average length3.9 letters
Puzzle1,197
Questions

Red Herring Puzzle 1,197 FAQ

1What is the answer to Red Herring Puzzle 1,197?+
All 16 answers are listed above, each with its letter count.
2How many answers does this level have?+
16, all listed on this page.
3Where do I go next?+
Use the links at the foot of the page for puzzle 1,196 and puzzle 1,198, or browse the whole 1,101–1,200 block.
4Are these answers verified?+
Yes. This puzzle was imported from a structured source record and validated on build. See the method page for exactly what is checked.
How to play

How Red Herring Works

The same three moves solve most Red Herring puzzles, including this one.

1

Find the group you are sure of

One category is usually unambiguous. Removing its four words shrinks the field sharply.

2

Distrust the obvious word

A word that fits several groups is almost always the planted one. It belongs to whichever group is left.

3

Solve by elimination

The last group needs no insight at all — it is whatever remains once the other twelve words are placed.

Play smarter

Red Herring Tips & Strategy

Starting with what this particular puzzle teaches you.

1

This chain has 16 links

Fill the answers you are sure of first — each confirmed link constrains its neighbours far more than the clue alone.

2

Longest answer is MARCONI

At 7 letters it is the most constrained slot on the level, which usually makes it the easiest to place.

3

The easiest word is the trap

If a word leaps out as belonging to a category, check whether it fits another one too. That is exactly the decoy the puzzle is built around.

4

Start with the group you are certain of

Four words removed from sixteen makes the rest far more tractable. Certainty first, cleverness second.

5

Count before you commit

If a category seems to have five candidates, one of them belongs elsewhere. The count is always exactly four.

6

Look for the boring category

Puzzles usually pair one obvious theme with three subtler ones. Finding the plain one first is the fastest route in.

By the numbers

Red Herring Puzzle 1,197 In Detail

Everything recorded for this puzzle, counted from its source record.

Answers in chain16
Longest answerMARCONI
Average length3.9 letters
Level1,197
Block1,101–1,200