First, the big news is that my new book has just come out in the USA! It is called Rip It Up in the UK, but in the USA it’s called The As If Principle. There is a short animation about the idea here….
Hope you enjoy it. OK, onto the puzzle….
Please do NOT post your answers, but do say if you think you have solved the puzzle and how long it took. Solution on Monday.
This week it is a nice puzzle by Lloyd King.
Can you fill in the missing letters in the following sequence: ??E, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, TEN, ????, ???EN, ?IN?
Richard Wiseman 
Couple of seconds – and I know it’s right
My answer to the question is:
no… I don’t have a clue.
Since that is a valid answer, I consider it solved… ok? 🙂
Okay.
BUT YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO POST YOUR ANSWER!
That leaves a paradox than as it says “but do say if you think you have solved the puzzle”
This made me laugh!
So obvious once you see it!
A couple of seconds. Neat.
Can I fill in the missing letters? No I cannot. Puzzled by those pesky last 3 words.
Gorrit! Who’s Lloyd King? Never heard of him before
Why do I even try these on Friday, its gonna bug me till Monday now
Couple of seconds. Easiest one for weeks I reckon.
Couldn’t see it. Saw your comment. Saw it straight away.
DOH!
How? There’s no clue in what he said. (Is this a covert ad for ‘The As If Principle’ – if you approach the problem ‘as if’ it’s easy, it’ll turn out to be easy? Must try this more often!!)
Good that you mentioned the name of the puzzle maker! 😉
About 2 mins – clever use of distraction
No idea. I have read through the comments carefully to look for cryptic clues, but still no idea.
Same here! The phrase ‘can’t see the wood for the trees’ springs to mind. This is going to bug me til Monday!
Couple of seconds.
Have an answer, but it’s not very satisfying.
Then you probably have it wrong. When you get it, you know it.
About twenty seconds. How is that hard?
Got it. But it’s not presented correctly. There will be arguments on Monday no doubt.
D’oh!
Idiot me I looked again and this time actually did get it lol. First time I think I created a wicked puzzle lol
I’m embarrassed it took me as long as it did. I don’t think this one is controversial.
Big deal. I got it. 🙂
Snap!
59
This threw me: I thought the last ? was the question mark for the question he asked; it isn’t. It’s another missing letter. Once I saw that I got it instantly.
Ah…
I did exactly the same! I’m struggling with every 3-letter word that ends in “IN” and it makes no sense. Then, suddenly I realize that it’s 4-letter word with the 1st & last letters missing. Voila: two seconds! I’m embarrassed!
Bugged me for a few minutes. Saw it just as I was giving up!
I know I’m not supposed to post my answer, but I can;’t help it. And I KNOW it’s right. 😉
“ARE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, TEN, AGES, GIVEN, GIN?”
That’s not it. Don’t post anyway. 🙂
Got it. Left it and forgot about it, then came back and saw it.
This is a really difficult one, no idea. Can’t wait til Monday to put me out my misery,
I knew that this was a classic piece of misdirection……. then I got the answer….and it was still a wonderfull piece of misdirection…
(PLEASE DON’T READ THIS IF YOU DON’T WANT A CLUE!)
The last question mark represents a letter as well. Maybe If the puzzle was grammatically correct, I suppose the sentence should end: ???en, ?in? ?
When I solved the puzzle ~ ten to twelve mins for me ~ I realised that the first word is a huge misdirection. Don’t assume anything!
That is all…
Kathy
I’ll bet you’re fun at parties.
very easy one this week. got it in three seconds
very easy. 3 second job for me and i dont normally get them!!!
Congratulation on your new book
Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.
I’m wondering if this is a cultural thing that i won’t get even when I see the answer. Sat here and looked at it for about ten minutes with NO breakthrough. 😦
There is a cultural element to it I guess.
I did not solve this puzzle unaided, but my wife gave me clue – I think I could have stared at it for weeks and not got the answer, whereas I knew that my wife could get it in a few seconds.
It’s not solvable by logic and, as noted above, there is a misdirection in the question.
Here’s a culture based hint – think Patrick McGoohan in The Prisoner.
easiest one ever 🙂
But I must admit I’ve had practice in university… probably more hours with friends than attending lessons :p
I’m still stumped. The lateral thinking side of my brain must not be working.
I’m surprised some prat hasn’t posted a spoiler. It took me til today to get it. Now I feel smug 🙂
Too hard, I had to read the comments for a hint. After that, too easy! Nice puzzle 🙂
I’m actually stumped to the point of giving up on this one. Never happened before.
have no idea either. I saw it Friday morning and I am no closer to guessing what the other words are.