Red Herring Puzzle 373
Answers

16 linked answers, in play order with letter counts.

SHIRLEY

All 16 answers

ELLER5 CURLY5 LAUREY6 JUD3 SHIRLEY7 TRACY5 DANNY5 KEITH5 SHEMP5 LARRY5 MOE3 JOE3 BASIL5 KEN3 SHERMAN7 BOBBY5

Red Herring Puzzle 373 (May 11, 2025) sits in Red Herring 2025 and holds 16 words, the longest answer being SHIRLEY at 7 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 4 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 301–400 block, with puzzle 372 and puzzle 374 linked at the foot of the page.

Puzzle 373 at a glance
CollectionRed Herring 2025
Words here16
Longest answerSHIRLEY (7)
Shortest answerJUD (3)
Average length4.8 letters
Puzzle373
Questions

Red Herring Puzzle 373 FAQ

1What is the answer to Red Herring Puzzle 373?+
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 372 and puzzle 374, or browse the whole 301–400 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 SHIRLEY

At 7 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 373 In Detail

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

Answers in chain16
Longest answerSHIRLEY
Average length4.8 letters
Level373
Block301–400