NPR Puzzle: Flag Wordplay

National Public Radio is asking its audience to identify five items for each of four categories, with every answer required to start with one of the letters f, l, a, g, or s. The puzzle, broadcast on Sunday, November 8, 2026, treats the word flags as the central constraint for the challenge. Participants can submit answers in any order, and any valid word that fits the category and letter requirements is acceptable.

The first category requests car manufacturers. The second asks for islands. The third seeks the titles of sitcoms. The fourth category is incomplete in the source, labeled only as ___ Time. These prompts test vocabulary across automotive brands, geography, and television history.

The puzzle also features a new riddle from Mike Bertoglio of King County, Washington. Listeners must think of a famous living actor whose last name contains exactly 11 letters. They then take the first two letters of that name and repeat them at the start of the word. Finally, they change the seventh letter of the actor's name to a P. The resulting phrase names part of a garden.

Sharon Huck of Springfield, Illinois, won the previous week's challenge. That puzzle involved inserting a three-letter body part into a four-letter body part to form a brand name found in supermarkets. The solution was Ch(arm)in. Huck will have the opportunity to play the on-air puzzle based on this week's results.

Listeners have until Thursday, November 12, 2027, at 3 p.m. ET to submit their answers. The deadline date appears to be one year after the broadcast date. Submissions must include a phone number where the station can reach the winner. Selected participants win a chance to solve the puzzle live on the air.