Red Herring Puzzle 2,902
Answers

16 linked answers, in play order with letter counts.

XYLOPHONE

All 16 answers

POKE4 PARITY6 BLANK5 SOUND5 TARRY5 LINGER6 LAG3 DRAG4 STRUM5 POINT5 SNAP4 DRUM4 HARNESS7 RAT3 XYLOPHONE9 HARP4

Red Herring Puzzle 2,902 (April 13, 2018) sits in Red Herring 2018 and holds 16 words, the longest answer being XYLOPHONE at 9 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 2,901–3,000 block, with puzzle 2,901 and puzzle 2,903 linked at the foot of the page.

Puzzle 2,902 at a glance
CollectionRed Herring 2018
Words here16
Longest answerXYLOPHONE (9)
Shortest answerLAG (3)
Average length4.9 letters
Puzzle2,902
Questions

Red Herring Puzzle 2,902 FAQ

1What is the answer to Red Herring Puzzle 2,902?+
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 2,901 and puzzle 2,903, or browse the whole 2,901–3,000 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 XYLOPHONE

At 9 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 2,902 In Detail

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

Answers in chain16
Longest answerXYLOPHONE
Average length4.9 letters
Level2,902
Block2,901–3,000