Brain Teasers
Alphabet Blocks
You have four alphabet blocks. Each block has a different letter of the alphabet on each of its six sides. Using these four blocks, you can spell any of the following words. Can you figure out what six letters appear on each of the four blocks?
BODY
CRUX
JACK
JOHN
KNOW
LIFT
MANX
PUGS
QUAD
SHIM
WRIT
YELP
BODY
CRUX
JACK
JOHN
KNOW
LIFT
MANX
PUGS
QUAD
SHIM
WRIT
YELP
Answer
The first thing that you should notice is that all of the letters except V and Z appear. Therefore each letter appears only on one block. The letters M, A, N, and X must appear on four different blocks (so that you can spell "MANX"). Call them blocks 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Block 2 (with the A) must have a letter from CRUX. It can't be C (because then you wouldn't be able to spell JACK) or U (so you can spell QUAD), so it is R. Block 2 must also have a letter from KNOW. It can't be K (JACK) or W (WRIT), so it's O. The letter H can't be on block 1 (SHIM) or block 2 or 3 (JOHN), so H is on block 4. J is on block 1 (JOHN). C can't be on block 1 or 2 (JACK) or block 4 (CRUX), so C is on block 3. U is on block 1 (CRUX), and K is on block 4 (JACK). W, then, is on block 1 (KNOW). I isn't on block 1 or 2 (WRIT), or block 4 (SHIM), so I is on block 3. T is on block 4 (WRIT) and S is on block 2 (SHIM). Block 4, which we already know has H, K, T, and X, can have only two more letters: it must have either D or Q (QUAD), and either G or P (PUGS). But block 4 must also have a letter from YELP, which can only be P, and a letter from BODY, which can only be D. G is on block 3 (PUGS), as is Q(QUAD). Block 3, which already has C, G, I, N, and Q, can only have one more letter: this sixth letter must be in both BODY and YELP, so it must be Y. B is on block 1 (BODY). Block 1, then, contains B, J, M, U, and W, and can have only one more letter: this sixth letter must be in both LIFT and YELP, so it must be L. Finally, block 2 holds E (YELP) and F (LIFT). In summary:Block 1: B, J, L, M, U, W
Block 2: A, E, F, O, R, S
Block 3: C, G, I, N, Q, Y
Block 4: D, H, K, P, T, X
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