Red Herring Puzzle 1,974
Answers
16 linked answers, in play order with letter counts.
All 16 answers
Red Herring Puzzle 1,974 (September 28, 2021) sits in Red Herring 2021 and holds 16 words, the longest answer being CARSON CITY 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 CARSON CITY and use the crossings it fixes.
This puzzle sits in the 1,901–2,000 block, with puzzle 1,973 and puzzle 1,975 linked at the foot of the page.
Red Herring Puzzle 1,974 FAQ
1What is the answer to Red Herring Puzzle 1,974?+
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 CARSON CITY
At 11 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 1,974 In Detail
Everything recorded for this puzzle, counted from its source record.
| Answers in chain | 16 |
|---|---|
| Longest answer | CARSON CITY |
| Average length | 7 letters |
| Level | 1,974 |
| Block | 1,901–2,000 |
More From The Archive
Every other game we cover, each one complete.
Sky Words
Answers8,000 LEVELS
Nonocross
Answers60 PUZZLES
Solitaire Associations
Answers6,151 LEVELS
Blossom
Answers276 DAILY PUZZLES
Cryptogram
Answers6,167 PUZZLES
Word Craze
Answers14,757 LEVELS
Word Craze Logic
Answers1,133 PUZZLES
Word Farm Adventure
Answers25,000 LEVELS
Word City
Answers2,430 LEVELS
Word Trek
Answers1,938 LEVELS
Wordscapes
Answers150,000 LEVELS
Word Alot
Answers1,904 LEVELS
Word Crossy
Answers47,597 LEVELS
Words of Wonders
Answers30,055 LEVELS
CodyCross
Answers2,144 GROUPS
Connect Word
Answers4,600 LEVELS
Word Cookies
Answers8,430 LEVELS
Word Hike
Answers5,749 LEVELS
Word Pizza
Answers2,005 LEVELS
Word Madness
Answers5,999 LEVELS
Crossword Master
Answers2,001 PUZZLES
Crossword Jam
Answers9,101 LEVELS
Game of Words
Answers11,164 LEVELS
Crossword Quest
Answers19,999 LEVELS