Puzzle

Definition: Puzzle

Puzzle

Noun

1. A particularly baffling problem that is said to have a correct solution; "he loved to solve chessmate puzzles"; "that's a real puzzler".

2. A toy that tests your ingenuity.

Verb

1. Be a mystery or bewildering to: "This beats me!" "Got me--I don't know the answer!".

2. Be uncertain about; think about without fully understanding or being able to decide; "We puzzled over her sudden departure".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "puzzle" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1588. (references)

Synonyms: Puzzle

Amusement

Scrabble, scribbage, boggle, crossword puzzle, hangman.

Concealment

Keep in the dark, leave in the dark, keep in the ignorance; blind, blind the eyes; blindfold, hoodwink, mystify; puzzle; (render uncertain); bamboozle; (deceive).

Difficulty

Nice point, delicate point, subtle point, knotty point; vexed question, vexata quaestio, poser; puzzle; (riddle); paradox; hard nut to crack, nut to crack; bone to pick,

Falsehood

Garble, gloss over, disguise, give a color to; give a gloss, put a gloss, put false coloring upon; color, varnish, cook, dress up, embroider; varnish right and puzzle wrong; exaggerate; blague.

Imbecility Folly

Weak headed, addle headed, puzzle headed, blunder headed, muddle headed, muddy headed, pig headed, beetle headed, buffle headed, chuckle headed, mutton headed, maggoty headed, grossheaded; beef headed, fat witted, fat-headed.

Secret

Enigma, riddle, puzzle, nut to crack, conundrum, charade, rebus, logogriph; monogram, anagram; Sphinx; crux criticorum.

Uncertainty

Render uncertain; Adjective: put out, pose, puzzle, perplex, embarrass; confuse, confound; bewilder, bother, molder, addle the wits, throw off the scent, ambiguas in vulgus spargere voces; keep in suspense.

Unintelligibility

Paradox, oxymoron; riddle, enigma, puzzle; (secret); diagnus vindice nodus; sealed book; steganography, freemasonry.

Crosswords: Puzzle

French (enigma, jigsaw, puzzle, riddle), German (jigsaw, jigsaw (puzzle), jigsaw puzzle, puzzle), Italian (puzzle), Spanish (puzzle).

Well, it's a puzzle because, technically, you're not alive (The Return of the Living Dead; writing credit: Dan O'Bannon; Rudy Ricci)

Uhhhhhthe book where Jesus swallows the puzzle piece and the man in the yellow hat has to take him to the hospital (Family Guy; writing credit: Dolores Payás)

I suppose you're one of those fellows who does the Times crossword puzzle in ten minutes (North Sea Hijack; writing credit: Jack Davies)

Well, you're the last piece of the puzzle. (Everybody Loves Raymond; writing credit: Joe Bolster)

I must admit, there are many thing about the heart that puzzle me. Like what does it mean when people say, 'broken hearts,' 'heart throb', and 'heartache' (The Zeta Project; writing credit: Kiu-Ying Chan; Felix Cheung)

Try to solve the puzzle (You Gotta Be; performing artist: Des'ree)

I ain't no puzzle piece that needs to fit (I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That; performing artist: Elton John)

It's the last piece of the puzzle but you just can't make it fit (NO ONE IS TO BLAME; performing artist: Howard Jones)

Leroy looked like a jigsaw puzzle (Bad, Bad Leroy Brown; performing artist: Jim Croce)

The Chinese Puzzle (1974)

Puzzle of a Downfall Child (1970)

The Puzzle of Pain (1965)

Puzzle Corner No. 14 (1954)

Personality Puzzle (1953)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• Biobalance: The Acid/Alkaline Solution to the Food-Mood-Health Puzzle (reference)

• The New York Times Sunday Crossword Puzzles (Times Books Crossword Puzzle Series , Vol 22) (reference)

• The Puzzle Mountain: The Most Original and Absorbing Compendium of Puzzles, Quizzes and Brainteasing Entertainments Ever Published (reference)

• Murder at the Aba: A Puzzle in Four Days and Sixty Scenes (reference)

• A Glorious Accident: Understanding Our Place in the Cosmic Puzzle (reference)

  (more book examples)

Periodicals

• Official Variety Puzzle & Word Games (reference)

  (more periodical examples)

Theater & Movies

• Body Puzzle (reference)

• The Puzzle Place: Rip Van Wrinkle (reference)

• The Puzzle Place: Rock Dreams (reference)

  (more DVD examples; more video examples)

Music

• Peace in the Puzzle (reference)

• Puzzle (reference)

  (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

High Tech

• Puzzle Capture 100 (reference)

• Hoyle Puzzle Games 2003 (reference)

• Veo Puzzle Capture 100 Digital Still (reference)

• ClueFinders 4th Grade Adventures: Puzzle of the Pyramid (reference)

• Country Scenery jigsaw puzzle 3.1 [DOWNLOAD] (reference)

  (more camera examples; more video game examples; more computer examples; more electronic examples; more software examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Alex and Helen Doborsky work on a puzzle in the recreation area of the EEI facility in Dallas, PA. Credit: USDA.

There's no puzzle to giving your baby the best chance for health. Don't smoke or drink while you're pregnant. Credit: National Library of Medicine.

The AIDS puzzle : where do women fit?. Credit: National Library of Medicine.

The peace puzzle. Credit: Library of Congress.

How that fellow gets as far as he does with that mustache is a puzzle to me. Credit: Library of Congress.

Squash Center comments on Secretary Wallace's potato puzzle. Credit: Library of Congress.

Pipe puffing puppies puzzle proud possessor / p. Credit: Library of Congress; photo by Underwood & Underwood..

Manager of the Navajo Lodge working a crossword puzzle with his dog at his feet. Datil, New Mexico. Credit: Library of Congress.

Harry Kahne, mental marvel and daredevil from Keiths Theatre, amuses the cross word puzzle fans as he works a puzzle backwards, while being hung from the top of one of Washington's tall office buildings. Credit: Library of Congress.

Cross-world food puzzle. Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

The man especially would have been a puzzle to a physiognomist

He was a metaphysical puzzle to me.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Health

Reading a book, writing a letter, or working a crossword puzzle may help you relax. (references)

Studies are also under way on the causes, treatments, and prevention of TMD. Through continued research, pieces of the TMD puzzle are falling slowly but steadily into place. (references)

Business

Set-top box access provide yet another piece in the puzzle of bringing the Internet to the Chinese masses. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Expressions using "puzzle": 8 queens puzzle ♦ be in a puzzle ♦ chinese puzzle ♦ crossword puzzle ♦ eight queens puzzle ♦ jigsaw puzzle ♦ monkey puzzle ♦ monkey puzzle tree ♦ Monkey's puzzle ♦ picture puzzle ♦ puzzle about smth. ♦ puzzle lock ♦ puzzle one's brains ♦ puzzle one's head ♦ puzzle out ♦ puzzle over ♦ puzzle picture ♦ Queens Puzzle ♦ varnish right and puzzle wrong. Additional references.

Beginning with "puzzle": Puzzle-headed, puzzle-motets, puzzle-orientated, puzzle-oriented, puzzle-pated, puzzle-player, puzzle-solving.

Ending with "puzzle": monkey-puzzle.

Containing "puzzle": monkey-puzzle tree.

Afrikaans

verwar (confuse, entangle, implicate). (various references)

Albanian

problem i vështirë (hard nut to crack, puzzler), pasiguri (contingency, doubt, dubiety, incertitude, insecurity, suspense, uncertainty), vras (assassinate, bag, bruise, bump off, damage, despatch, dispatch, do away with, drop, finish, finish off, get, hurt, injure, kill, Lynch, make away with oneself, murder, poniard, put the sword, shoot, slay, stab, stone to death, waste, zap), mister (mystery, secret), mëdyshje (hesitance, hesitancy, hesitation, quandary, vacillating), lë në mëdyshje, hutoj (abash, baffle, befuddle, bewilder, confound, confuse, dash, disarray, discomfit, disconcert, discountenance, disorient, disorientate, distract, floor, flummox, mystify, overwhelm, perplex, pose, wilder), gjëzë (riddle), gjë-a-gjëzë, enigmë (enigma, puzzler). (various references)

Arabic 

‏معضلة (dilemma, enigma, mystery, problem, riddle), ‏لغز (clue, conundrum, enigma, mystery, mystify, mystique, puzzlement, quiz, riddle, secret), ‏حيرة (bewilderment, confusion, discomfiture, disconcertion, dismay, distraction, embarrassment, hesitance, hesitancy, indecision, irresolution, maze, mystification, nonplus, perplexedly, perplexity, puzzlement, tangle), ‏حير (baffle, befog, bewilder, confound, distract, floor, flummox, fluster, mystify, nonplus, perplex, put off one's fears, riddle, vex), ‏إرتباك (awkwardness, bewilderment, confusion, constraint, disruption, distraction, embarrassment, foolishness, involvement, morass, mystification, nonplus, perplexity, pink, puzzlement, quandary, self consciousness, shame, shyness, spot, tangle, uneasiness), ‏أحجية (enigma, mystery, mystique, puzzlement, riddle), ‏أربك (baffle, bamboozle, befuddle, bemuse, bewilder, bother, buffalo, confound, confuse, demoralize, discompose, disconcert, disorientate, embarrass, embrangle, entangle, floor, fluster, fox, fret, fuddle, gravel, molest, muckrake, mystify, nonplus, obfuscate, overwhelm, perplex, pose, put out, ravel, show up, squirm, stop, stumble, stump, vex), ‏شىء مربك. (various references)

Bulgarian 

ребус (rebus), чудя се (marvel, wonder), главоблъсканица (conundrum), озадачавам (bepuzzle, bewilder, floor, flummox, hobble, intrigue, maze, mystify, perplex, pose, rattle, stick, stick up for, stumble, stump, vex), обърквам (abash, addle, baffle, bedevil, befuddle, bewilder, complicate, confound, confuse, discomfit, disconcert, disjoint, dislocate, distract, embarrass, embroil, flatten, flummox, fluster, foil, fuddle, gravel, jumble, maze, mess about, mess around, mess up, muddle, muff, muss, nonplus, obfuscate, overwhelm, perplex, pose, put off, put out, sew up, snarl, stonker, throw out, tumble, vex, wilder), обърканост (blankness, complexity, confusion, distraction, fluster, fog, harassment, indigestion, involution, maze, muddle, puzzlement), недоумение (perplexity, puzzlement, quandary), мъчен въпрос (puzzler), мистерия (mystery), мисля (deliberate, figure, guess, imagine, opine, pore, puzzle over, reason, reckon, repute, see, suppose, think, ween, weigh), загадка (crux, enigma, problem, riddle), блъскам се (beat about, crash, crowd, dash, hurtle, jar, plod, press forward, snag), играчка ребус. (various references)

Chinese 

难题. (various references)

Czech

poplést (become confused, confuse, darken, embarrass, jumble, maze, obfuscate, perplex), zmatenost (woollies), zmást (baffle, bewilder, confound, confuse, disconcert, maze, mix up, nonplus, non-plus, obfuscate, perplex, stick up, stump, stupefy), záhada (puzzlement, riddle), uvést do rozpakù (embarrass, perplex, stump), rozpaky (confusion, dilemma, discomfort, embarrassment, nonplus, non-plus, plunge, puzzlement, quandary, self consciousness), hádanka (conundrum, enigma, mystery, problem, puzzlement, riddle). (various references)

Danish

forvirre (confuse). (various references)

Dutch

raadsel (enigma, mystery, riddle), puzzel (enigma, riddle). (various references)

Esperanto

konsterni (appall, dismay), konfuzi (confuse), konfuzegi, enigmo (enigma, riddle). (various references)

Faeroese

gáta (enigma, riddle), ørkymla (abet, agitate, confuse, incite, stir up). (various references)

Farsi 

متحیرشدن , معما (Conundrum, Crux, Enigma, Mystery, Problem, Quandary), چیستان (Conundrum, Crux, Enigma, Problem), لغز (Conundrum, Crux, Enigma), گیچ کردن (Mystify), جدول معما, اشفته کردن (Embroil, Harrow, Mess, Roil, Upset). (various references)

Finnish

arvoitus (enigma, riddle). (various references)

French

puzzle, consterner, confondre, énigme (puzzlement). (various references)

Frisian

riedling (enigma, riddle). (various references)

German

Rätsel (enigma, riddle, enigmas, mystery, riddles), verwirren (confuse, bewilder, muddle, tangle), Geduldspiel. (various references)

Greek 

σπαζοκεφαλιά (brainteaser, teaser), γρίφοσ (charade, puzzler, riddle), προβληματίζω (give cause for concern, tax), περιπλέκω (complicate, embroil), φέρνω σε αμηχανία (beat, embarrass, nonplus), απορία (bewilderment, destitution, poverty, quandary, query, question), αίνιγμα (mystery), θέτω εισ αμηχανίαν, θέτω εισ απορίαν. (various references)

Hebrew 

להתמיה (astonish), להתלבט (have doubts, struggle), תעלומה (enigma, mystery, mystique, riddle, secret), חידה (enigma, parable, riddle). (various references)

Hungarian

rejtvény (enigma, rebus, riddle), türelemjáték (fiddling job), fejtörő (teaser). (various references)

Icelandic

velta fyrir sér (puzzle over, rack one's brains). (various references)

Indonesian

teka-teki (charade, enigma), badek-badekan. (various references)

Italian

puzzle, perplessità (bewilderment, incertitude, nonplus, perplexity, quandary), rompicapo (riddle), rendere perplesso (baffle, bamboozle, bewilder), rebus (rebus), mistero (mystery), enigma (conundrum, enigma, puzzler, riddle), confondere (abash). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

考え物 (problem), 謎謎 (enigma, riddle), 謎々 (enigma, riddle), 謎 (enigma, riddle), パステル画 (catcher's error, parsley, passed ball, passport, password, pastel, pastoral, pathetic, pathetic drama, personal, personal computer), 判じ物 (riddle). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

パズル , なぞなぞ (enigma, riddle), なぞ (calm, enigma, lull, riddle), かんがえもの (problem), はんじもの (riddle). (various references)

Korean 

수수께끼 (Riddle). (various references)

Manx

keisht (problem, proposition, question), feyshtyn (confession), cur fud y cheilley (bemuse, confuse, derange, disarray, disorganization, disorganize, embarrass, jumble, litter, maze, perturb, subvert; dislocation, tangle). (various references)

Norwegian

puslespill (jigsaw puzzle), gruble (puzzle over, rack one's brains). (various references)

Papiamen

pùzel (enigma, riddle), misterio (enigma, riddle, secret), konfundí (confuse), charada (enigma, riddle). (various references)

Pig Latin

uzzlepay.(various references)

Polish

zagadka (enigma, riddle). (various references)

Portuguese

enigma (enigma, riddle), confundir (confuse), atrapalhar (confuse). (various references)

Romanian

încurca (confuse). (various references)

Russian 

головоломка (mind-breaker), вопрос, ставящий в тупик, озадачивать задача, недоумение (perplexity), загадка (conundrum, enigma, riddle), поставить в тупик (stymie). (various references)

Sepedi

marara. (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

zbuniti (abash, addle, baffle, befuddle, bemuse, bepuzzle, bewilder, confound, confuse, discomfit, disconcert, distract, embarrass, faze, maze, nonplus, perplex, perturb, pose, rattle, stick, stump), zagonetka (conundrum, enigma, mystery, riddle), odgonetnuti (puzzle out, unriddle), biti u nedoumici. (various references)

Spanish

puzzle, romperse la cabeza, rompecabezas (brainteaser), enigma (enigma), desconcertar (abash, disconcert), acertijo (quiz). (various references)

Sranan

laytori (enigma, riddle). (various references)

Swedish

pussel (jigsaw puzzle, puzzles), gåta (enigma, riddle). (various references)

Thai

ทำให้งง (floor, mystify), คนที่เข้าใจยาก. (various references)

Turkish

bulmaca (riddle). (various references)

Turkmen 

matal.Turkmen/English Dictionary 106. (various references)

Ukrainian

утруднення (ado, crux, cumber, discomfort, embarrassment, obstruction, perplexity, pressure, trouble), спантеличувати (amuse, blank, delude, fog, mystify, slew), головоломка (brainteaser, conundrum, teaser), загадка (crux, enigma, puzzlement, riddle, x), замішання (amazement, bewilderment, discomfiture, dither, fluster, nonplus, puzzlement), заплутувати (ball up, complicate, embrangle, embroil, entangle, jack off, jerk off, muss, obscure, tangle), задача (exercise, problem), бентежити (abash, affront, bewilder, confound, confuse, damp, dank, daunt, disarray, discomfit, disconcert, discourage, dismay, disorder, embarrass, embrangle, flummox, muddle, overset, perplex, perturb, puddle, upturn), проблема (problem, question), подив (amaze, astonishment, daze, perplexity, wonder, wonderment). (various references)

Vietnamese 

vấn đề nan giải trò chơi đố, vấn đề khó giải quyết (gordian knot, puzzler), sự khó xử vấn đề khó xử, sự bối rối (abashment, discomfiture, discomposure, disconcertment, fuddle, perplexity, stew, trepidation), câu đố. (various references)

Welsh

pos (conundrum, riddle). (various references)

ænigma, Araucaria araucana, enigma, enigmata, enigmate, enigmatibus, enigmatum, griphus. (various references)

Derivations

Words beginning with "puzzle": puzzled, puzzleheaded, puzzleheadedness, puzzleheadednesses, puzzlement, puzzlements, puzzler, puzzlers, puzzles. (additional references)

Words ending with "puzzle": unpuzzle. (additional references)

Words containing "puzzle": unpuzzled, unpuzzles. (additional references)

Misspellings

"Puzzle" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Buzalek, pezzle, pezzoli, pizel, Pozzallo, pozzle, pussel, pussle, Putzie, puzz, puzzlie, spazzle, uzzle. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

-2 letters: pule.

-3 letters: leu, lez, pul.

-4 letters: el, pe, up.

+1 letter: puzzled, puzzler, puzzles.

+2 letters: puzzlers, unpuzzle.

+3 letters: unpuzzled, unpuzzles.

+4 letters: puzzlement.

+5 letters: puzzlements.