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50 Word Play Quiz Questions and Answers

Fifty quiz questions about words and language: meanings, spellings and sayings.

  • 50 questions with answers
  • Updated 1 November 2026
  • A new set every month

1. Who got married to the American singer Ryan Adams in 2009?

2. What is the surname of the singer who was originally born Barry Alan Pincus?

3. How to get toothpaste out of the tube

4. Which type of headgear is triangular in shape?

5. Which actor has played the role of Jack Sugden for a number of years?

6. Regenschirm is the German word for which useful item?

7. Who launched London Weekend Television's "The South Bank Show" in 1978?

8. What with the temporal, frontal and parietal forms the human skull?

9. Which type of broad trousers were fashionable in Britain's leading university city between the two world wars?

10. Surname of Character played by Sid Owen in Eastenders?

11. Swimming style used on the third leg of a medley relay race?

12. Give an ant a disease

13. Which US President was born on Hawaii?

14. Located on the West coast of S.America and stretching for over 600 miles, what is the driest place on earth?

15. Which words, with exception of "hungry" and "angry" end with the letters "gry"?

16. The English word 'GAMBRINOUS' means to be full of what?

17. Give a university boat-crew their starting lines on stage

18. A film record of a "python's" activities?

19. What do Swallowtail, The Scottish Angus and The Camberwell have in common?

20. What do Scarlet Pimpernel, James Grieve and Egremont Russett have in common?

21. Postage stamps from Switzerland bear the inscription ?Helvetia?. In which language does Helvetia mean "Switzerland"?

22. In Morse code, how is the letter 'S' represented?

23. G.F.F. - to share or split the difference?

24. P.A.F.O. - to con or trick someone?

25. Founded in 1440 by Henry VI, which school stands on the bank of the Thames.?

26. Where in August can you see a famous military tattoo?

27. What NON is at this moment - or not at all?

28. What YC should you cut your coat according to?

29. Which traditional dance was first perfomred in New South Wales, Australia in 1884.

30. Which Bingo chain have 148 clubs throughout the UK.

31. Where to save money after Christmas and also check your weight

32. Doha is the capital of which former British protectorate?

33. Which French city is known as the City of Nougat?

34. Is this a compromise on “Men only”?

35. What you might say to your two young sons if they asked “What is the best feature of Bournemouth?”

36. Who was the twin brother of Remus?

37. Name the famous Knight of King Arthur who was the lover of Queen Guinevere?

38. What is the ancient Persian word for nation or land?

39. Which well-known word stems from the Latin for 'knowledge'?

40. Where exactly in London were Edward V and his brother Richard believed to have been murdered?

41. Which embroidery has 72 scenes depicting the Norman Conquest of England?

42. Give one thickness of cake to a solicitor

43. Is this one of the lights that control the curved shape of a road?

44. What Ken, the doll Barbie's boyfriend lacked / The act of taking something from someone illegally

45. Name given to the rise at the back of a saddle / British medical journal, published weekly since 1823

46. What is the difference between an Entomologist and an Etymologist?

47. Reverse a portion to make an ambush?

48. Better be an old man?s darling than a young man?s.......

49. You can?t teach an old dog new.......

50. Blüthner, Erard, Chickering, Broadwood, Beckstein, Heintzman and Cristofori are all famous examples of what?

ANSWERS

1. Mandy Moore

2. Manilow

3. Squeeze

4. Cocked Hat

5. Clive Hornby

6. Umbrella

7. Melvyn Bragg

8. Occipital Bone

9. Oxford Bags

10. Butcher

11. Butterfly-stroke

12. INFECT/INSECT

13. BARACK OBAMA

14. ATACAMA DESERT

15. Simple answer, there are no others!

16. Beer

17. Kuwait

18. Montevideo

19. Butterflies

20. Apple trees

21. Latin

22. Three dots

23. Go fifty fifty

24. Pull a fast one

25. Eton College

26. Edinburgh Castle

27. Now or Never

28. Your Cloth

29. Haka - During the New Zealand rugby teams first tour overseas.

30. Gala

31. Sales/Scales

32. Qater

33. Montelimar

34. Girls aloud

35. The Beach boys

36. Romulous

37. Lancelo t

38. Stan

39. Science

40. Bloody tower

41. Bayeux tapestry

42. Layer/Lawyer

43. Amber/Camber

44. Genitals / Stealing

45. Cantle / Lancet

46. Entomologist - studies insects, Etymologist studies words

47. Part / Trap

48. Slave

49. Tricks

50. Piano builders or pianos

Where these questions come from
  1. Its a MANs World Quiz 1
  2. Its a MANs World Quiz 1
  3. Band Aid Cryptic Quiz 1
  4. Same initials Quiz 9
  5. Same initials Quiz 9
  6. Seeing Double Quiz 1
  7. Seeing Double Quiz 1
  8. Same initials Quiz 8
  9. Same initials Quiz 8
  10. All But One Quiz 1
  11. All But One Quiz 1
  12. Change a Letter Quiz 1
  13. Alternate As Quiz 3
  14. Alternate As Quiz 3
  15. Words Quiz 1
  16. Words Quiz 1
  17. Capital Punishment Cryptic Quiz 2
  18. Capital Punishment Cryptic Quiz 2
  19. Missing Links Quiz 1
  20. Missing Links Quiz 1
  21. Language Quiz 1
  22. Language Quiz 1
  23. Initial Sayings Quiz 2
  24. Initial Sayings Quiz 2
  25. Same Initials Quiz 10
  26. Same Initials Quiz 10
  27. Cryptic Quiz 5
  28. Cryptic Quiz 5
  29. Alternate As Quiz 1
  30. Alternate As Quiz 1
  31. Add a Letter Quiz 3
  32. Rhyming Quiz 1
  33. Rhyming Quiz 1
  34. Cryptic Groups Quiz 1
  35. Cryptic Groups Quiz 1
  36. Word Chain Quiz 2
  37. Word Chain Quiz 2
  38. Pauls Language Quiz 2
  39. Pauls Language Quiz 2
  40. Same Initials Quiz 1
  41. Same Initials Quiz 1
  42. Add a Letter Quiz 2
  43. Add a Letter Quiz 2
  44. Two for One Quiz 2
  45. Two for One Quiz 2
  46. Language Quiz 3
  47. Language Quiz 3
  48. Proverbs Quiz 1
  49. Proverbs Quiz 1
  50. Pauls Language Quiz 3

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