Conundrum - Revision history

GTh: /* Contestants with eight consecutive prelim conundrum solves */

2026-06-06T10:21:09Z

‎Contestants with eight consecutive prelim conundrum solves

GTh: /* Contestants with eight consecutive prelim conundrum solves */

2026-06-05T15:46:36Z

‎Contestants with eight consecutive prelim conundrum solves

GTh at 15:40, 31 May 2026

2026-05-31T15:40:56Z

GTh: /* Contestants with eight consecutive prelim conundrum solves */

2026-05-31T15:40:20Z

‎Contestants with eight consecutive prelim conundrum solves

DaaniyalAli at 20:03, 9 May 2026

2026-05-09T20:03:23Z

GTh at 17:18, 8 May 2026

2026-05-08T17:18:46Z

GTh: /* Contestants with eight consecutive prelim conundrum solves */

2026-05-08T17:17:55Z

‎Contestants with eight consecutive prelim conundrum solves

RLSJ1997 at 15:13, 27 July 2025

2025-07-27T15:13:49Z

GTh: /* Contestants with eight consecutive prelim conundrum solves */

2024-12-19T23:26:44Z

‎Contestants with eight consecutive prelim conundrum solves

Mclarenguy22 at 14:25, 16 November 2024

2024-11-16T14:25:39Z

@@ Line 79: / Line 79: @@
 |-
 !15
-|| [[Charlie Harrison]] || 14.25 || 1.78 || 1 || 4
+|| [[Charlie Harrison]] || 15 || 1.88 || 1 || 4
 |}
 [[Category:Terminology]]

@@ Line 77: / Line 77: @@
 !14
 || [[Patrick Thompson]] || 12.5 || 1.56 || 0.5 || 2.75
 |}
 [[Category:Terminology]]

@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 On occasions where one of the contestants is visually impaired or blind, the conundrum scramble is phonetically read out at the beginning of the round; the example of this being on [[Episode 7855|23 September 2022]].
-Some top notch contestants have been noted for frequently solving conundrums in under a second, as indicated by a buzz before the clock has illuminated the first light. The record for the fastest combined time over eight conundrums by an [[octochamp]] currently stands at 13.15 seconds by [[Patrick Thompson]]. In the [[Series 57]] finals in 2007, the series runner-up in the form of [[Jeffrey Hansford]] adopted a tactic which became known as "Hansfording" or "fudging" where he would buzz in as soon as the letters started to turn over. In his [[Episode 4507|semi-final]], he was too slow to answer but correctly guessed as soon as the clock restarted. As an act of sportsmanship, his opponent declined to buzz in.
+Some top notch contestants have been noted for frequently solving conundrums in under a second, as indicated by a buzz before the clock has illuminated the first light. The record for the fastest combined time over eight conundrums by an [[octochamp]] currently stands at 12.5 seconds by [[Patrick Thompson]]. In the [[Series 57]] finals in 2007, the series runner-up in the form of [[Jeffrey Hansford]] adopted a tactic which became known as "Hansfording" or "fudging" where he would buzz in as soon as the letters started to turn over. In his [[Episode 4507|semi-final]], he was too slow to answer but correctly guessed as soon as the clock restarted. As an act of sportsmanship, his opponent declined to buzz in.
 ==Contestants with eight consecutive prelim conundrum solves==

@@ Line 76: / Line 76: @@
 |-
 !14
-|| [[Patrick Thompson]] || 13.15 || 1.64 || 0.75 || 2.9
+|| [[Patrick Thompson]] || 12.5 || 1.56 || 0.5 || 2.75
 |}
 [[Category:Terminology]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{For|Crucial|[[Mark Tournoff]]'s book|[[Crucial - A Champion’s Tale]]}}
-[[Image:Martin Gardner.jpg|thumb|right|210px|[[Martin Gardner]] solving the conundrum {{word|INNERMOST}} in [[Episode 3482]].]]
+[[Image:Martin Gardner.jpg|thumb|right|210px|[[Martin Gardner]] solving the conundrum of {{word|INNERMOST}} on [[Episode 3482|14 May 2003]].]]
 [[Image:GANDISEEG.png|thumb|right|210px|"[[GANDISEEG|{{word|GAN}}...{{word|GANDI}}...{{word|SEEG}}]]?"]]
 The '''conundrum''' is a buzzer round where a nine-letter word is shown to [[contestant]]s in the form of an anagram which must be unjumbled. The first person to buzz in and provide the correct answer in 30 seconds or less, scores 10 points. The conundrum is the final round of the game, and another conundrum is shown in the event of a tie.
-The conundrum is hidden at the start of the round and then turned over to reveal the scramble as soon as the clock is started. Each player may buzz in and guess only once. If any contestant buzzes in with a wrong guess or does not answer, they are "frozen out" of the round and the clock is then restarted for the other player to buzz within the time remaining. Since [[Series 65]] in 2011, wrong guesses are revealed in final cut as {{word|INCORRECT}}. The round ends when either one player answers correctly, when the 30 seconds expire or when both contestants buzz in and fail to guess correctly.
+The conundrum is hidden at the start of the round and then turned over to reveal the scramble as soon as the clock is started. Each player may buzz in and guess only once. If any contestant buzzes in with a wrong guess or does not answer, they are "frozen out" of the round and the clock is then continued for the other player to buzz within the time remaining. Since [[Episode 5291|22 June 2011]] during early-[[Series 65]], wrong guesses are revealed in final cut as {{word|INCORRECT}}. The round ends when either one player answers correctly, when the 30 seconds expire or when both contestants buzz in and fail to guess correctly.
-A '''crucial conundrum''' occurs when the two players are within 10 points of each other before the final conundrum round, and hence the winner will be whichever player solves it first. Since 2003, the studio lights are dimmed on a crucial conundrum and since 2017, the lights turn pinkish-purple.
+A '''crucial conundrum''' occurs when the two players are within 10 points of each other before the final conundrum round, and hence the winner will be whichever player solves it first. From [[Championship of Champions XI]] to [[Series 59]], the studio lights are dimmed on a crucial conundrum. And since [[Series 77]], the lights turn pinkish-purple.
-Pre-COVID, conundrums were presented on a board using the same cards as the ones used in the [[letters game|letters games]] so that audience members could see. If neither contestant found the answer within 30 seconds, it was – from 2003 – often thrown over to the studio audience. A correct answer from an audience member won them a [[goody bag|''Countdown'' mug]].
+Pre-{{w|COVID}}, conundrums were presented on a board using the same cards as the ones used in the [[letters game]]s so that audience members could see. If neither contestant found the answer within 30 seconds, it was – particularly from 2003 – often thrown over to the studio audience. A correct answer from an audience member won them a [[goody bag|''Countdown'' mug]].
-Since August 2020, with the removal of the studio audience, conundrums are typed in and presented digitally. Unsolved conundrums are now thrown over to the co-[[presenter]], [[lexicographer]] and celebrity guest unless none of them have the answer immediately. The mechanical conundrum board however, was used on ''[[8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown]]'' for another three years after that, although the final episode to use it would not be seen until [[Episode Cats167|January 2025]].
+Since [[Episode 7309|20 April 2020]] with the removal of the studio audience, conundrums are typed in and presented digitally. Unsolved conundrums are now thrown over to the co-[[presenter]], [[lexicographer]] and celebrity guest unless none of them have the answer immediately. However, the mechanical conundrum board was used on ''[[8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown]]'' for another three years after that but the final episode to use it was not seen until [[Episode Cats167|31 January 2025]].
-From the show's inception in 1982, the game was declared a [[draw]] if the scoreline was level after the conundrum and both contestants would return for a [[rematch]] the next day, except in series finals when tiebreaks were necessary. After [[Series 21]] had a record four drawn preliminary matches, the rules were changed in [[Series 22]] so that all tied matches must now be settled by tiebreaks. If the total scores are level after the conundrum, another conundrum is presented as a tiebreaker. Tiebreak conundrums continue to be presented until one is solved, and the same rules apply for each conundrum. Tiebreak conundrums are rare, and a third is even rarer. Tiebreakers may theoretically continue ad infinitum, but on some such occasions only the solved conundrum is broadcast in the final cut to save time, such as in [[Episode 6157]]. Games may still end in a draw on ''8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown'' in which the rules are not enforced strictly.
+From the show's inception in 1982, the game was declared a [[draw]] if the scoreline was level after the conundrum and both contestants would return for a [[rematch]] the next day (except in series finals when tiebreaks were necessary). After [[Series 21]] had a record four drawn preliminary matches, the rules were changed in [[Series 22|the following series]] so that all tied matches must now be settled by tiebreaks. If the total scores are level after the conundrum, another conundrum is presented as a tiebreaker. Tiebreak conundrums continue to be presented until one is solved, and the same rules apply for each conundrum. Tiebreak conundrums are rare, and a third is even rarer. Tiebreakers may theoretically continue ad infinitum but on some such occasions, only the solved conundrum is broadcast in the final cut to save time such as on [[Episode 6157|15 June 2015]]. Games may still end in a draw on ''8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown'' in which the rules are not enforced strictly.
-The conundrum is often posed as gibberish comprised of two or three words (or occasionally, one word with a prefix/suffix, or an abbreviation), similar to an anagram fodder in cryptic crossword clues. The scramble may be tongue-in-cheek, or even as one whole word to pose a true anagram pair. For example, {{word|DEVIATION}} can be jumbled up as {{word|ANTIVIDEO}}, {{word|EMULATING}} as {{word|GLUTAMINE}}, {{word|SEGREGATE}} as {{word|EASTEREGG}} and {{word|BONHOMOUS}} humorously as {{word|OOHSONUMB}}.
+The conundrum is often posed as gibberish comprised of two or three words (or occasionally, one word with a prefix/suffix or an abbreviation), similar to an anagram fodder in cryptic crossword clues. The scramble may be tongue-in-cheek, or even as one whole word to pose a true anagram pair. For example, {{word|DEVIATION}} can be jumbled up as {{word|ANTIVIDEO}}, {{word|EMULATING}} as {{word|GLUTAMINE}}, {{word|SEGREGATE}} as {{word|EASTEREGG}} and {{word|BONHOMOUS}} humorously as {{word|OOHSONUMB}}.
 Conundrums are designed to be gently puzzling rather than annoyingly baffling, so extremely rare and obsolete words are generally avoided. Whilst the ''[[Oxford Dictionaries Premium]]'' website is ''[[Countdown]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s source dictionary, almost all answers are considered everyday words and appear in standard single-volume print and online dictionaries. Obscurer verbs and adjectives, loanwords and terms from academic subjects may be preserved for knockout matches in the series finals and a [[Championship of Champions]] to increase difficulty. Conundrums are set by the producer, currently [[Damian Eadie]].
@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 Plural forms of singular nouns and verbs in present tense form are usually not used in conundrums, although nouns which exist only in plural form such as {{word|SECATEURS}} and {{word|CASTANETS}} may be used (as {{word|secateur {{x}}}} and {{word|castanet {{x}}}} are invalid).
-Conundrums must only have one correct answer. Historically, though, there have seldom been conundrums with two answers by accident. For example, in [[Episode 7102]], the conundrum jumbled as {{word|LOVECRISP}} had {{word|COVERSLIP}} and {{word|SLIPCOVER}} as possible answers.
+Conundrums must only have one correct answer. Historically though, there have seldom been conundrums with two answers by accident. Such as on [[Episode 7102|21 June 2019]], the conundrum jumbled as {{word|LOVECRISP}} had {{word|COVERSLIP}} and {{word|SLIPCOVER}} as possible answers.
 During the recording of the programmes, conundrums may be changed and/or reshot in the event of discrepancies or mishaps which would not produce suitable outcomes in final cuts.
-For the purpose of differentiating between which contestant presses their button to offer a solution first, both the champion's and challenger's nameplates have a perimeter light which illuminates when their button is pressed, with the champion's button sounding a "bell" and the challenger's as a "buzzer".
+For the purpose of differentiating between which contestant presses their button to offer a solution first, both the champion's and challenger's nameplates have a perimeter light which illuminates when their button is pressed with the champion's button sounding a "bell" and the challenger's as a "buzzer".
-On occasions where one of the contestants is visually impaired or blind, the conundrum scramble is phonetically read out at the beginning of the round, the most recent example of this being on [[Episode 7855]].
+On occasions where one of the contestants is visually impaired or blind, the conundrum scramble is phonetically read out at the beginning of the round; the example of this being on [[Episode 7855|23 September 2022]].
-Some top notch contestants have been noted for frequently solving conundrums in under a second, as indicated by a buzz before the clock has illuminated the first light. The record for the fastest combined time over eight conundrums by an [[octochamp]] currently stands at 13.15 seconds by [[Patrick Thompson]]. In the [[Series 57]] finals in 2007, the series runner-up in the form of [[Jeffrey Hansford]] adopted a tactic which became known as "Hansfording" or "fudging", where he would buzz in as soon as the letters started to turn over. In his semi-final, he was too slow to answer, but correctly guessed as soon as the clock restarted. As an act of sportsmanship, his opponent declined to buzz in.
+Some top notch contestants have been noted for frequently solving conundrums in under a second, as indicated by a buzz before the clock has illuminated the first light. The record for the fastest combined time over eight conundrums by an [[octochamp]] currently stands at 13.15 seconds by [[Patrick Thompson]]. In the [[Series 57]] finals in 2007, the series runner-up in the form of [[Jeffrey Hansford]] adopted a tactic which became known as "Hansfording" or "fudging" where he would buzz in as soon as the letters started to turn over. In his [[Episode 4507|semi-final]], he was too slow to answer but correctly guessed as soon as the clock restarted. As an act of sportsmanship, his opponent declined to buzz in.
 ==Contestants with eight consecutive prelim conundrum solves==

@@ Line 74: / Line 74: @@
 !13
 || [[Tom Stevenson]] || 43 || 5.38 || 1 || 19.75
 |}
 [[Category:Terminology]]

@@ Line 34: / Line 34: @@
 {|class="wikitable sortable"
-!Rank !! Name !! Total solve time (s) !! Average solve time (s) !! Fastest solve time (s) !! Shortest solve time (s)
+!Rank !! Name !! Total solve time (s) !! Average solve time (s) !! Fastest solve time (s) !! Slowest solve time (s)
 |-
 !1

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 The conundrum is hidden at the start of the round and then turned over to reveal the scramble as soon as the clock is started. Each player may buzz in and guess only once. If any contestant buzzes in with a wrong guess or does not answer, they are "frozen out" of the round and the clock is then restarted for the other player to buzz within the time remaining. Since [[Series 65]] in 2011, wrong guesses are revealed in final cut as {{word|INCORRECT}}. The round ends when either one player answers correctly, when the 30 seconds expire or when both contestants buzz in and fail to guess correctly.
-A '''crucial conundrum''' occurs when the two players are within 10 points of each other before the final conundrum round, and hence the winner will be whichever player can solve it. Since 2003, the studio lights are dimmed on a crucial conundrum and since 2017, the lights turn pinkish-purple.
+A '''crucial conundrum''' occurs when the two players are within 10 points of each other before the final conundrum round, and hence the winner will be whichever player solves it first. Since 2003, the studio lights are dimmed on a crucial conundrum and since 2017, the lights turn pinkish-purple.
-Pre-COVID, conundrums were presented on a board so that audience members could see – if neither contestant found the answer within 30 seconds, it was – from 2003 – often thrown over to the studio audience. A correct answer from an audience member won them a [[goody bag|''Countdown'' mug]]. Post-COVID, conundrums are presented digitally and unsolved conundrums are thrown over to the co-[[presenter]], [[lexicographer]] and celebrity guest. The mechanical conundrum board is still used on ''[[8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown]]''.
+Pre-COVID, conundrums were presented on a board using the same cards as the ones used in the [[letters game|letters games]] so that audience members could see. If neither contestant found the answer within 30 seconds, it was – from 2003 – often thrown over to the studio audience. A correct answer from an audience member won them a [[goody bag|''Countdown'' mug]]. Post-COVID, conundrums are typed in and presented digitally and unsolved conundrums are thrown over to the co-[[presenter]], [[lexicographer]] and celebrity guest. The mechanical conundrum board is still used on ''[[8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown]]''.
 If the total scores are level after the conundrum, another conundrum is presented as a tiebreaker. Tiebreak conundrums continue to be presented until one is solved, and the same rules apply for each conundrum. Tiebreak conundrums are rare, and a third is even rarer. Tiebreakers may theoretically continue ad infinitum, but on some such occasions only the solved conundrum is broadcast in the final cut to save time, such as in [[Episode 6157]].
-From the show's inception in 1982, the game was declared a [[draw]] if the scoreline was level after the conundrum and both contestants would return for a [[rematch]] the next day, except in series finals when tiebreaks were necessary. After [[Series 21]] had a record four drawn preliminary matches, the rules were changed in [[Series 22]] so that all matches must now be settled by tiebreaks. Games may still end in a draw on ''8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown'', which does not usually have tiebreaks.
+From the show's inception in 1982, the game was declared a [[draw]] if the scoreline was level after the conundrum and both contestants would return for a [[rematch]] the next day, except in series finals when tiebreaks were necessary. After [[Series 21]] had a record four drawn preliminary matches, the rules were changed in [[Series 22]] so that all tied matches must now be settled by tiebreaks. Games may still end in a draw on ''8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown'', which does not usually have tiebreaks.
 The conundrum is often posed as gibberish comprised of two or three words (or occasionally, one word with a prefix/suffix, or an abbreviation), similar to an anagram fodder in cryptic crossword clues. The scramble may be tongue-in-cheek, or even as one whole word to pose a true anagram pair. For example, {{word|DEVIATION}} can be jumbled up as {{word|ANTIVIDEO}}, {{word|EMULATING}} as {{word|GLUTAMINE}}, {{word|SEGREGATE}} as {{word|EASTEREGG}} and {{word|BONHOMOUS}} humorously as {{word|OOHSONUMB}}.
-Conundrums are designed to be gently puzzling rather than annoyingly baffling, so extremely rare and obsolete words with definitions that are difficult to comprehend should be avoided for this purpose. While the ''[[Oxford Dictionaries Premium]]'' website is ''[[Countdown]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s sole source, almost all answers are considered everyday words and appear in standard single-volume print and online dictionaries. Obscurer verbs and adjectives, loanwords and terms from academic subjects may be preserved for knockout matches in the finals and a [[Championship of Champions]] to increase difficulty. Conundrums are set by the producer, currently [[Damian Eadie]]. Plurals of eight-letter nouns and verbs in present tense form are usually not used in conundrums, although nouns which exist only in plural form such as {{word|DROPPINGS}} and {{word|CASTANETS}} may be used.
+Conundrums are designed to be gently puzzling rather than annoyingly baffling, so extremely rare and obsolete words are generally avoided. Whilst the ''[[Oxford Dictionaries Premium]]'' website is ''[[Countdown]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s source dictionary, almost all answers are considered everyday words and appear in standard single-volume print and online dictionaries. Obscurer verbs and adjectives, loanwords and terms from academic subjects may be preserved for knockout matches in the series finals and a [[Championship of Champions]] to increase difficulty. Conundrums are set by the producer, currently [[Damian Eadie]].
-Although conundrums, when unjumbled, must reveal only one nine-letter word, an "illegal" conundrum with two or more possible answers may be posed in error. For example, in [[Episode 7102]], the conundrum jumbled as {{word|LOVECRISP}} had {{word|COVERSLIP}} and {{word|SLIPCOVER}} as possible answers.
+Plural forms of singular nouns and verbs in present tense form are usually not used in conundrums, although nouns which exist only in plural form such as {{word|SECATEURS}} and {{word|CASTANETS}} may be used (as {{word|secateur {{x}}}} and {{word|castanet {{x}}}} are invalid).
-During the recording of the programmes, conundrums may be changed and/or reshot in the game in the event of discrepancies or mishaps which would not produce suitable outcomes in final cuts.
+Conundrums must only have one correct answer. Historically, though, there have seldom been conundrums with two answers by accident. For example, in [[Episode 7102]], the conundrum jumbled as {{word|LOVECRISP}} had {{word|COVERSLIP}} and {{word|SLIPCOVER}} as possible answers.
 For the purpose of differentiating between which contestant presses their button to offer a solution first, both the champion's and challenger's nameplates have a perimeter light which illuminates when their button is pressed, with the champion's button sounding a "bell" and the challenger's as a "buzzer".
-On occasions where one of the contestants is visually impaired or blind, the conundrum scramble is phonetically read out, the most recent example of this being on [[Episode 7855]].
+On occasions where one of the contestants is visually impaired or blind, the conundrum scramble is phonetically read out at the beginning of the round, the most recent example of this being on [[Episode 7855]].
 Some top notch contestants have been noted for frequently solving conundrums in under a second, as indicated by a buzz before the clock has illuminated the first light. The record for the fastest combined time over eight conundrums by an [[octochamp]] (to the quarter of a second) currently stands at 17.75 seconds by [[Tom Carey|Thomas Carey]]. In the [[Series 57]] finals in 2007, the series runner-up in the form of [[Jeffrey Hansford]] adopted a tactic which became known as "Hansfording" or "fudging", where he would buzz in as soon as the letters started to turn over. In his semi-final, he was too slow to answer, but correctly guessed as soon as the clock restarted. As an act of sportsmanship, his opponent declined to buzz in.