Only the UK's cleverest minds can solve this 'fiendish' brainteaser
Daily mirror September 15, 2025 01:39 PM

This puzzleis a real brain-boggler, only solvable by the sharpest of minds.

While some brainteasers are just for a bit of fun, others can keep the kids occupied for a few minutes or give your brain a good workout - research even suggests that regularly tackling these kinds of puzzles can boost your cognitive ability, reduce stress and improve concentration and attention levels.

However, this particular brainteaser cranks up the difficulty level, putting your intelligence (or lack thereof) to the ultimate test. So, reckon you're the family's Einstein? Fancy yourself as the next James Bond, saving the world from evil? Well, it's time to put that theory to the test.. Let's play!

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Concocted by the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) back in 2020, this devilish puzzle has no time limit due to its fiendish nature. Your task is to find the hidden word amongst the following five:

If you're contemplating throwing in the towel, you can check out these puzzle-solving tips to help you enhance your enigma-solving skills. We're not giving away any hints for this one, so get your James Bond thinking cap on and find the answer.

Already admitting defeat? Scroll down to the bottom of the article for the solution.

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If that proved no challenge whatsoever for an absolute mastermind like yourself, don't fret - we've got another GCHQ brainteaser guaranteed to leave you stumped. This one might be branded as 'family-friendly' but don't be deceived, it's anything but straightforward.

You'll still require a razor sharp intellect, robust analytical abilities, and an unshakeable capacity to perform brilliantly under pressure. Let's see how swiftly you can determine which of the following words or phrases is the odd one out. When you believe you've solved it, you can discover the solution here. It might assist to jot these words down to work out which one appears slightly out of place.

ANSWER: INDEX. Each word represents the nth in a sequence. US Presidents, planets in the solar system, the tonic sol-fa scale, periodic table, books of the bible. "By taking the nth letter in the word you can spell out INDEX," explains GCHQ.

Did you nail the correct answer? Let us know in the comments section below. You can also click here for more challenging brainteasers and puzzles, or check out these mind-boggling optical illusions that could reveal a lot about your personality.

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