Sunday Puzzle: Hush

NPR's Weekend Edition Puzzlemaster Will Shortz challenges listener Wesley Davis with a 'quiet' puzzle.

Published on Mar. 8, 2026

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On the latest episode of NPR's Sunday Puzzle, host Ayesha Rascoe plays a word game with listener Wesley Davis and Weekend Edition Puzzlemaster Will Shortz. The puzzle requires contestants to provide words starting with 'SH' to complete compound words or familiar two-word phrases.

Why it matters

The Sunday Puzzle is a long-running segment on NPR's Weekend Edition that tests listeners' vocabulary and wordplay skills. It provides entertainment and intellectual stimulation for the public radio audience.

The details

In this week's puzzle, Shortz gives Davis two-word prompts, and Davis must provide the 'SH' word that can complete the compound word or phrase. For example, if the prompt is 'Holder Cropper', the answer is 'SHARE' (shareholder, sharecropper). The puzzle features 12 such prompts for Davis to solve.

  • The Sunday Puzzle aired on March 8, 2026.

The players

Ayesha Rascoe

The host of NPR's Weekend Edition who played the puzzle with the listener.

Will Shortz

The Weekend Edition Puzzlemaster who created and presented the 'quiet' puzzle.

Wesley Davis

A listener from Black Mountain, North Carolina who participated in solving the puzzle.

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What they’re saying

“This is a "quiet" puzzle. Every answer is a word that starts with SH-.”

— Will Shortz, Weekend Edition Puzzlemaster (NPR)

What’s next

The winner of this week's puzzle challenge will have the opportunity to play the on-air puzzle on a future episode of Weekend Edition.

The takeaway

The Sunday Puzzle on NPR's Weekend Edition continues to engage and entertain listeners with creative word games that test their vocabulary and problem-solving skills.