Red Herring Puzzle 1,516
Answers

16 linked answers, in play order with letter counts.

GERRYMANDER

All 16 answers

GERRYMANDER11 SKORT5 BRUNCH6 STAGFLATION11 TIME-OUT8 INTERREGNUM11 BREAK5 HIATUS6 RECESSION9 DOWNTURN8 DEPRESSION10 SLUMP5 FUSING6 DELAY5 ELEVENSES9 POTLUCK7

Red Herring Puzzle 1,516 (June 27, 2022) sits in Red Herring 2022 and holds 16 words, the longest answer being GERRYMANDER at 11 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.

This level has almost no short filler, so it is carried by its longer answers and there is little quick to open it with. Work outward from GERRYMANDER and use the crossings it fixes.

This puzzle sits in the 1,501–1,600 block, with puzzle 1,515 and puzzle 1,517 linked at the foot of the page.

Puzzle 1,516 at a glance
CollectionRed Herring 2022
Words here16
Longest answerGERRYMANDER (11)
Shortest answerSKORT (5)
Average length7.6 letters
Puzzle1,516
Questions

Red Herring Puzzle 1,516 FAQ

1What is the answer to Red Herring Puzzle 1,516?+
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 1,515 and puzzle 1,517, or browse the whole 1,501–1,600 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 GERRYMANDER

At 11 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 1,516 In Detail

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

Answers in chain16
Longest answerGERRYMANDER
Average length7.6 letters
Level1,516
Block1,501–1,600