The Puzzle Post no. 9 · week of 7 December 2026

1. Word ladder

Change one letter at a time to turn DEER into SLED. Every step must be a real word. It takes 2 steps in between.

DEER → ____ → ____ → SLED

2. Number pyramid

Each block is the sum of the two blocks underneath it. Fill in the blanks.

3. Who has which pet?

Yan, Zoe, Abe each have one pet: a robin, a donkey, an eel.

• Yan does not have the robin.
• Zoe's pet does not live in water.
• Abe does not have the donkey.
• The robin's owner is not Zoe.

4. What comes next?

2, 5, 10, 17, 26, ____

5. Riddle

What goes up but never comes down?