Red Herring Puzzle 842
Answers

16 linked answers, in play order with letter counts.

SCOTTISH BAG

All 16 answers

OBOE4 ENGLISH HORN11 BASSOON7 SCOTTISH BAGPIPES16 TROMBONE8 CONTRABASSOON13 FLUGELHORN10 SAXOPHONE9 FRENCH HORN10 IRISH FLUTE10 PORTUGUESE GUITAR16 ROMAN TUBA9 DIDGERIDOO10 STEEL GUITAR11 TAMBOURINE10 GLOCKENSPIEL12

Red Herring Puzzle 842 (August 22, 2024) sits in Red Herring 2024 and holds 16 words, the longest answer being SCOTTISH BAGPIPES at 17 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.

Answers here average 10.8 letters, which is long. Long answers are more constrained rather than less: with that many squares the crossing letters usually decide the word before anything else does, so fill the intersections first.

This puzzle sits in the 801–900 block, with puzzle 841 and puzzle 843 linked at the foot of the page.

Puzzle 842 at a glance
CollectionRed Herring 2024
Words here16
Longest answerSCOTTISH BAGPIPES (17)
Shortest answerOBOE (4)
Average length10.8 letters
Puzzle842
Questions

Red Herring Puzzle 842 FAQ

1What is the answer to Red Herring Puzzle 842?+
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 841 and puzzle 843, or browse the whole 801–900 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 SCOTTISH BAGPIPES

At 17 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 842 In Detail

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

Answers in chain16
Longest answerSCOTTISH BAGPIPES
Average length10.8 letters
Level842
Block801–900