Red Herring Puzzle 1,209
Answers
16 linked answers, in play order with letter counts.
All 16 answers
Red Herring Puzzle 1,209 (August 24, 2023) sits in Red Herring 2023 and holds 16 words, the longest answer being SHOULDER at 8 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.
There are 2 very short answers threaded between the longer ones here. Those are the ones most often left unfilled — count the empty squares in a run rather than scanning the whole board again.
This puzzle sits in the 1,201–1,300 block, with puzzle 1,208 and puzzle 1,210 linked at the foot of the page.
Red Herring Puzzle 1,209 FAQ
1What is the answer to Red Herring Puzzle 1,209?+
2How many answers does this level have?+
3Where do I go next?+
4Are these answers verified?+
How Red Herring Works
The same three moves solve most Red Herring puzzles, including this one.
Find the group you are sure of
One category is usually unambiguous. Removing its four words shrinks the field sharply.
Distrust the obvious word
A word that fits several groups is almost always the planted one. It belongs to whichever group is left.
Solve by elimination
The last group needs no insight at all — it is whatever remains once the other twelve words are placed.
Red Herring Tips & Strategy
Starting with what this particular puzzle teaches you.
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.
Longest answer is SHOULDER
At 8 letters it is the most constrained slot on the level, which usually makes it the easiest to place.
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.
Start with the group you are certain of
Four words removed from sixteen makes the rest far more tractable. Certainty first, cleverness second.
Count before you commit
If a category seems to have five candidates, one of them belongs elsewhere. The count is always exactly four.
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.
Red Herring Puzzle 1,209 In Detail
Everything recorded for this puzzle, counted from its source record.
| Answers in chain | 16 |
|---|---|
| Longest answer | SHOULDER |
| Average length | 4.9 letters |
| Level | 1,209 |
| Block | 1,201–1,300 |
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