Red Herring Puzzle 1,331
Answers

16 linked answers, in play order with letter counts.

GRADUATE STU

All 16 answers

TA2 GA2 AM2 BE2 YAM3 SHALLOT7 WATER CHESTNUT13 GARLIC6 MARY ANN7 THURSTON8 GINGER6 PROFESSOR9 RESEARCHER10 GRADUATE STUDENT15 MS2 TX2

Red Herring Puzzle 1,331 (December 24, 2023) sits in Red Herring 2023 and holds 16 words, the longest answer being GRADUATE STUDENT at 16 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.

7 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 1,301–1,400 block, with puzzle 1,330 and puzzle 1,332 linked at the foot of the page.

Puzzle 1,331 at a glance
CollectionRed Herring 2023
Words here16
Longest answerGRADUATE STUDENT (16)
Shortest answerTA (2)
Average length6.2 letters
Puzzle1,331
Questions

Red Herring Puzzle 1,331 FAQ

1What is the answer to Red Herring Puzzle 1,331?+
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 1,330 and puzzle 1,332, or browse the whole 1,301–1,400 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 GRADUATE STUDENT

At 16 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 1,331 In Detail

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

Answers in chain16
Longest answerGRADUATE STUDENT
Average length6.2 letters
Level1,331
Block1,301–1,400