Rounds

All Rounds

Complete list of all rounds played with results and key statistics.

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Date Solution Words Type Results Description
1/3/2023 KEA and LOA True Ryan Hecht (5/10) The inaugural debut round of KEALOA!
1/10/2023 ROAM and ROVE True Ryan Hecht (5/10)
1/17/2023 ACME and APEX True Ben Zimmer (8/10)
Ryan Hecht (5/10) 		Two debuts! First, the KEALOA segment theme music, and second, the first head-to-head competitive round of KEALOA, featuring Ryan vs. The Barnacle.
1/24/2023 ELUDE and EVADE True Ryan Hecht (6/10) Suggested by Matt Gritzmacher.
1/31/2023 UGH and ICK Free Ryan Hecht (4/10)
Shannon Rapp (4/10) 		Suggested by Sharon Fenick. Shannon won the tie-breaker.
2/7/2023 A TON and A LOT True Ryan Hecht (6/10)
2/14/2023 CHAR and SEAR True Ryan Hecht (7/10)
2/21/2023 LENTO and LARGO True Ryan Hecht (6/10) Suggested by Todd Hamelin.
2/28/2023 AVER and AVOW True Ryan Hecht (6/10) The puzzle for clue 9 has entries for both AVER and AVOW, but somehow only one of them appeared in the round.
3/7/2023 ASAP and STAT True Ryan Hecht (8/10)
3/14/2023 EON and ERA True Ryan Hecht (6/10) Ryan was given multiple puzzle clues with the same answers for round clues 9 and 10.
3/21/2023 CREED and CREDO True Ryan Hecht (7/10) Suggested by Matt Gritzmacher.
4/11/2023 SPARSE and SCARCE True Ryan Hecht (6/10) Suggested by Twitter user @chenklybore.
4/18/2023 GAWK and GAPE True Ryan Hecht (7/10) Suggested by Peter Gordon.
5/2/2023 DOPE and DOLT True Ryan Hecht (4/10)
5/9/2023 BAA and MAA True Ryan Hecht (6/10) Suggested by Peter Gordon.
6/13/2023 ALTER and AMEND True Ryan Hecht (6/10)
7/11/2023 DARN and DRAT True Ryan Hecht (6/10)
7/25/2023 OHO and AHA True Ryan Hecht (4/10) Ryan was given a bonus clue from a diagramless puzzle and did not get it correct.
8/1/2023 ERS and ORS True Will Eisenberg (9/10)
Ryan Hecht (7/10)
Shannon Rapp (6/10) 		The first three-way competition in KEALOA history.
8/15/2023 MONET and MANET True Ryan Hecht (3/10)
8/22/2023 SO DO I, SO AM I, AS DO I, and AS AM I True Ryan Hecht (1/10) First round featuring more than two possible correct answers and the increase in opportunity to be wrong.
8/29/2023 PSST and AHEM Free Ryan Hecht (5/10)
9/19/2023 EBAY and ETSY True Ryan Hecht (9/10)
9/26/2023 ALPO and IAMS Near Ryan Hecht (9/10) Suggested by C. S. Simpson.
10/3/2023 THIS and THAT True Ryan Hecht (7/10) Ryan knows his sexless pronouns!
10/10/2023 A BIT and A TAD True Ryan Hecht (3/10)
10/24/2023 (#1) IOTA and MOTE True Ryan Hecht (6/10) Suggested by C. S. Simpson.
10/24/2023 (#2) IOTA and MOTE True Ryan Hecht (2/3) Suggested by C. S. Simpson. Extra credit round!
10/31/2023 SIS and SIB True Ryan Hecht (9/10)
Shannon Rapp (8/10)
Will Eisenberg (6/10) 		Ryan gets a shot at redemption in a rematch with Shannon and Will.
11/7/2023 BLOB and GLOB True Ryan Hecht (6/10) Suggested by Peter Gordon.
11/14/2023 EGRET and HERON True Ryan Hecht (3/10) Suggested by Eric Peterson.
11/21/2023 I WIN and I WON True Ryan Hecht (9/10) Suggested by Jenna LaFleur.
11/28/2023 GEEK and NERD True Ryan Hecht (7/10) Suggested by Jeff Eddings. Bazinga!
12/5/2023 AYE and YEA Near Ryan Hecht (4/10)
12/12/2023 SAMBA and TANGO True Ryan Hecht (6/10) A "surprisingly delightful" performance from Ryan
12/19/2023 MAJOR and MINOR True Ryan Hecht (6/10) First suggested by Vega Subramaniam, most recently suggested by Katja Brinck. A special "audio" KEALOA in which Brian played clips of the music being clued.
1/9/2024 AVERT and AVOID True Ryan Hecht (9/10) Suggested by Michael Marcus (who is not Matt Matera).
1/16/2024 LOAN and LEND True Ryan Hecht (2/10) Suggested by Will Eisenberg. The clues are only for the verb form of each answer.
1/23/2024 SOBA and UDON Near Ryan Hecht (7/10)
1/30/2024 (#1) SOUP and STEW True Ryan Hecht (8/10)
1/30/2024 (#2) BEAT and BEST True Ryan Hecht (7/10) Bonus round! In this round, Brian simply gave Ryan the clues but did not identify the puzzle dates nor constructors from which these clues were taken.
2/6/2024 THEE and THOU True Ryan Hecht (8/10) Suggested by Shannon Rapp. Little known fact: Paul McCartney is the second person appearing in the Bible.
2/20/2024 KEATS and YEATS True Ryan Hecht (7/10)
2/27/2024 SPATE and SURGE True Ryan Hecht (3/10)
3/5/2024 ARAL and URAL True Ryan Hecht (9/10)
3/12/2024 ATOP and UPON True Ryan Hecht (7/10)
3/19/2024 SEALY and SERTA True Ryan Hecht (9/10) The reason Ryan didn't get 10 for 10 is because he got one of them wrong.
4/2/2024 ILLS and WOES True Ryan Hecht (7/10)
4/23/2024 LYRE and HARP True Ryan Hecht (9/10) Ryan got the first 9 correct, and even after claiming that he knew he would get the last one wrong, didn't change his answer and, in fact, got the last one wrong.
4/30/2024 SUMO and JUDO True Ryan Hecht (8/10)
5/14/2024 YIKES and YIPES True Ryan Hecht (6/10)
6/4/2024 (#1) COLA and SODA True Ryan Hecht (9/10) Ryan had one chance to get 10 things right… and he didn't.
6/4/2024 (#2) COLA and SODA True Ryan Hecht (8/10) Ryan also played a second round using non-beverage clues.
7/16/2024 RHINE and RHONE True Ryan Hecht (8/10) Featuring the return of Lorelei.
7/30/2024 SCAT and SHOO True Ryan Hecht (5/10)
8/20/2024 AGREE and ALIGN True Ryan Hecht (5/10)
9/3/2024 OFFS and ICES True Ryan Hecht (5/10)
9/10/2024 YAK and GAB True Ryan Hecht (5/10) Suggested by Jeff Eddings. Ryan has a 4-week streak of going 5 for 10 and learns about eccentric rods.
10/8/2024 KIRA and LAURA Near Ryan Hecht (6/10) The inaugural round of "KIRALAURA". In this round, the answer KIRA means the entry in the grid is one of either KIRA, KEIRA, or KYRA. The answer LAURA means the entry in the grid is one of either LAURA, LORA, or LARA.
12/24/2024 TROT and LOPE Near Ryan Hecht (9/10) Ryan went 9 for 9 before screwing it all up.
2/25/2025 ADAGE and AXIOM True Ryan Hecht (7/10) In which Brian learns how to pronounce "apothegm."
4/1/2025 ORSK and OREL True Ryan Hecht (3/10) April Fool's Day episode. "Ryan" finished 3 and 7 (which is not very good), and "Brian" pledged that KEALOA will not make another appearance for quite some time.
4/8/2025 ORSK and OREL True Ryan Hecht (8/10) Ryan tested his short-term (or possibly long-term) memory by attempting last week's KEALOA, which presumably he himself had compiled.
4/15/2025 ORSK and OREL True Ryan Hecht (4/10) Brian gave Ryan a new list of clues from unpublished puzzles. Ryan missed the first 6 and got 100% of the rest.
4/29/2025 TOKYO and KYOTO True Ryan Hecht (8/10) Ryan played from Japan and did very well.
5/6/2025 EIRE and ERIN True Ryan Hecht (5/10) As suggested by viewer Steve Smith. Ryan was, unfortunately, not in a pub in Dublin drinking something bubblin'.
6/3/2025 OAF and ASS Near Ryan Hecht (6/10) "Not all asses are biblical."
6/10/2025 EMMY and TONY True Ryan Hecht (7/10) Featuring the bicycle bell, for when Ryan gets the answer correct… or incorrect.
7/15/2025 STICK and CANE Near Ryan Hecht (5/10) A special KEALOA for Episode 500. Ryan did exactly as well as everyone expected. Also, the first episode to feature answers of different lengths.
9/23/2025 EYRE and EMMA True Ryan Hecht (5/10) It's always EYRE!
2/10/2026 SCARF, SNARF, and SAME True Ryan Hecht (7/10) A variety KEALOA round … the answer to each round clue is the word which has been the answer more often for the given puzzle clue.
3/3/2026 ASH and ELM Free Ryan Hecht (7/10) Suggested by Eric Peterson. Ryan also got the first clue correct in the mostly unplayed pre-Shortzian bonus round.
3/10/2026 FIR and YEW Free Ryan Hecht (5/10) Suggested by Eric Peterson, sponsored by Emily Baker.
3/17/2026 ORTON and ODETS True Ryan Hecht (7/10) Suggested by Ben Zimmer via Crossword Discord. The words are the names of playwrights Joe ORTON and Clifford ODETS.
6/30/2026 ERIC and ERIK True Ryan Hecht (7/10) Suggested by Eric Peterson.
7/21/2026 ANNA and ELSA True Ryan Hecht (7/10) Words chosen because Brian is in the middle of his second production of "Frozen" this year.
4 Players
77 Rounds
703 Puzzles
431 Constructors
763 Clues
823 Guesses
517 Correct
63% Accuracy

Statistics by Year

Year-by-year breakdown of rounds played, clues given, and overall accuracy.

Year Rounds Clues Guesses Correct Accuracy
2023 37 363 423 253 60%
2024 24 240 240 166 69%
2025 10 100 100 58 58%
2026 6 60 60 40 67%

Answer Frequency (2 Possible Answers)

How often each answer word appeared at each clue position.

Clue # Answer 1 Answer 2
1 63% 37%
2 51% 49%
3 49% 51%
4 50% 50%
5 45% 55%
6 62% 38%
7 58% 42%
8 41% 59%
9 50% 50%
10 46% 54%
All 51% 49%

Answer Frequency (3 Possible Answers)

How often each answer word appeared at each clue position.

Clue # Answer 1 Answer 2 Answer 3
1 100% — —
2 — 100% —
3 — 100% —
4 — 100% —
5 — 100% —
6 — 100% —
7 100% — —
8 — — 100%
9 100% — —
10 — 100% —
All 30% 60% 10%

Answer Frequency (4 Possible Answers)

How often each answer word appeared at each clue position.

Clue # Answer 1 Answer 2 Answer 3 Answer 4
1 — 100% — —
2 100% — — —
3 100% — — —
4 — — — 100%
5 — — — 100%
6 — 100% — —
7 100% — — —
8 — — — 100%
9 — — — 100%
10 100% — — —
All 40% 20% — 40%

Answer Alternation vs Accuracy

How accuracy varies based on how evenly the correct answers were distributed across the solution words.

Answer Alternation Rounds Guesses Correct Accuracy
0%–10% 1 3 2 67%
10%–20% 4 40 19 48%
20%–30% 4 40 21 53%
30%–40% 4 40 32 80%
40%–50% 15 150 95 63%
50%–60% 23 230 152 66%
60%–70% 17 210 128 61%
70%–80% 6 80 47 59%
80%–90% 2 20 15 75%
90%–100% 1 10 6 60%

Guess Alternation vs Accuracy

How accuracy varies based on how evenly guesses were spread across the solution words.

Guess Alternation Guesses Correct Accuracy
0%–10% 20 13 65%
10%–20% 40 21 53%
20%–30% 70 34 49%
30%–40% 110 66 60%
40%–50% 80 46 57%
50%–60% 303 194 64%
60%–70% 130 96 74%
70%–80% 60 43 72%
80%–90% 10 5 50%

Answer Alternation by Clue Number

How often the correct answer alternated to a different solution word from one clue to the next.

Clue Chances Taken %
2 77 39 51%
3 77 47 61%
4 76 33 43%
5 76 46 61%
6 76 40 53%
7 76 37 49%
8 76 47 62%
9 76 40 53%
10 76 39 51%

Guess Alternation by Clue Number

How often the player's guess alternated to a different solution word from one clue to the next.

Clue Chances Taken %
2 83 42 51%
3 83 42 51%
4 82 39 48%
5 82 34 41%
6 82 40 49%
7 82 41 50%
8 82 35 43%
9 82 47 57%
10 82 42 51%

Clue Position vs Average Clue Age

The average age of the crossword puzzle at each clue position in the round.

Clue # Clues Avg Age Min Max
1 74 1,541 days 1 22,382
2 74 4,217 days 16 29,374
3 74 6,173 days 65 26,513
4 73 4,236 days 100 27,911
5 73 7,251 days 18 28,765
6 73 7,415 days 36 28,842
7 73 8,691 days 142 29,906
8 73 10,911 days 272 29,738
9 74 11,370 days 60 29,668
10 75 15,033 days 124 30,529

Round Details

Detailed statistics for each round with filtering and sorting options.

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Date Solution Words Type Ans. Alt. Ans. Even. Guess Alt. Guess Even. Avg Clue Age
1/3/2023 KEA and LOA True 67% 100% 56% 97% 8,197 days
1/10/2023 ROAM and ROVE True 67% 97% 44% 100% 8,662 days
1/17/2023 ACME and APEX True 78% 100% 33% 99% 5,858 days
1/24/2023 ELUDE and EVADE True 56% 97% 56% 97% 8,975 days
1/31/2023 UGH and ICK Free 78% 97% 50% 97% 4,670 days
2/7/2023 A TON and A LOT True 44% 100% 11% 47% 5,189 days
2/14/2023 CHAR and SEAR True 67% 97% 56% 88% 8,456 days
2/21/2023 LENTO and LARGO True 89% 97% 56% 97% 10,709 days
2/28/2023 AVER and AVOW True 56% 100% 78% 100% 6,325 days
3/7/2023 ASAP and STAT True 44% 97% 56% 97% 2,482 days
3/14/2023 EON and ERA True 67% 97% 33% 97% 7,480 days
3/21/2023 CREED and CREDO True 44% 97% 67% 88% 6,520 days
4/11/2023 SPARSE and SCARCE True 67% 100% 67% 100% 9,046 days
4/18/2023 GAWK and GAPE True 56% 100% 44% 97% 7,620 days
5/2/2023 DOPE and DOLT True 22% 47% 22% 88% 4,696 days
5/9/2023 BAA and MAA True 100% 100% 44% 100% 6,065 days
6/13/2023 ALTER and AMEND True 78% 100% 78% 100% 10,010 days
7/11/2023 DARN and DRAT True 67% 97% 22% 72% 10,432 days
7/25/2023 OHO and AHA True 44% 97% 0% 0% 8,024 days
8/1/2023 ERS and ORS True 67% 88% 59% 94% 6,286 days
8/15/2023 MONET and MANET True 11% 47% 11% 72% 5,825 days
8/22/2023 SO DO I, SO AM I, AS DO I, and AS AM I True 67% 76% 33% 46% 4,843 days
8/29/2023 PSST and AHEM Free 56% 97% 56% 88% 7,147 days
9/19/2023 EBAY and ETSY True 56% 88% 78% 97% 1,395 days
9/26/2023 ALPO and IAMS Near 56% 97% 33% 88% 3,478 days
10/3/2023 THIS and THAT True 56% 100% 78% 97% 8,040 days
10/10/2023 A BIT and A TAD True 78% 100% 56% 97% 2,202 days
10/24/2023 (#1) IOTA and MOTE True 44% 72% 22% 97% 4,362 days
10/24/2023 (#2) IOTA and MOTE True 0% 0% 50% 92% 22,509 days
10/31/2023 SIS and SIB True 67% 97% 63% 94% 4,682 days
11/7/2023 BLOB and GLOB True 56% 100% 56% 100% 8,983 days
11/14/2023 EGRET and HERON True 67% 97% 56% 88% 9,517 days
11/21/2023 I WIN and I WON True 33% 97% 56% 100% 4,141 days
11/28/2023 GEEK and NERD True 67% 97% 44% 100% 2,543 days
12/5/2023 AYE and YEA Near 67% 88% 56% 88% 12,373 days
12/12/2023 SAMBA and TANGO True 56% 100% 33% 88% 10,606 days
12/19/2023 MAJOR and MINOR True 67% 100% 56% 100% 4,937 days
1/9/2024 AVERT and AVOID True 78% 97% 67% 88% 7,802 days
1/16/2024 LOAN and LEND True 11% 72% 22% 72% 12,493 days
1/23/2024 SOBA and UDON Near 33% 100% 56% 97% 2,023 days
1/30/2024 (#1) SOUP and STEW True 44% 100% 67% 100% 6,722 days
1/30/2024 (#2) BEAT and BEST True 67% 100% 56% 97% —
2/6/2024 THEE and THOU True 56% 100% 67% 100% 7,301 days
2/20/2024 KEATS and YEATS True 33% 100% 56% 97% 5,253 days
2/27/2024 SPATE and SURGE True 44% 72% 44% 88% 10,325 days
3/5/2024 ARAL and URAL True 89% 100% 67% 97% 7,502 days
3/12/2024 ATOP and UPON True 22% 72% 67% 88% 10,490 days
3/19/2024 SEALY and SERTA True 56% 97% 56% 88% 5,725 days
4/2/2024 ILLS and WOES True 44% 97% 33% 100% 5,892 days
4/23/2024 LYRE and HARP True 67% 88% 56% 97% 8,695 days
4/30/2024 SUMO and JUDO True 56% 97% 56% 97% 7,646 days
5/14/2024 YIKES and YIPES True 56% 88% 56% 100% 6,998 days
6/4/2024 (#1) COLA and SODA True 33% 88% 33% 97% 6,721 days
6/4/2024 (#2) COLA and SODA True 44% 97% 78% 97% 23,119 days
7/16/2024 RHINE and RHONE True 78% 97% 56% 97% 3,353 days
7/30/2024 SCAT and SHOO True 56% 100% 44% 97% 10,282 days
8/20/2024 AGREE and ALIGN True 56% 100% 33% 97% 9,202 days
9/3/2024 OFFS and ICES True 11% 88% 11% 72% 6,398 days
9/10/2024 YAK and GAB True 56% 88% 56% 97% 7,282 days
10/8/2024 KIRA and LAURA Near 56% 88% 44% 100% 7,391 days
12/24/2024 TROT and LOPE Near 11% 47% 0% 0% 4,129 days
2/25/2025 ADAGE and AXIOM True 44% 100% 33% 97% 10,157 days
4/1/2025 ORSK and OREL True 22% 88% 22% 72% 15,373 days
4/8/2025 ORSK and OREL True 44% 88% 22% 88% 15,380 days
4/15/2025 ORSK and OREL True 67% 100% 56% 100% —
4/29/2025 TOKYO and KYOTO True 56% 100% 67% 88% 11,948 days
5/6/2025 EIRE and ERIN True 56% 100% 33% 97% 10,455 days
6/3/2025 OAF and ASS Near 44% 72% 56% 97% 5,818 days
6/10/2025 EMMY and TONY True 56% 88% 67% 97% 11,626 days
7/15/2025 STICK and CANE Near 44% 100% 56% 97% 19,787 days
9/23/2025 EYRE and EMMA True 56% 100% 22% 72% 2,954 days
2/10/2026 SCARF, SNARF, and SAME True 56% 82% 56% 73% —
3/3/2026 ASH and ELM Free 56% 100% 33% 97% 3,924 days
3/10/2026 FIR and YEW Free 44% 97% 89% 100% 3,014 days
3/17/2026 ORTON and ODETS True 44% 88% 56% 97% 7,590 days
6/30/2026 ERIC and ERIK True 67% 100% 44% 97% 8,719 days
7/21/2026 ANNA and ELSA True 22% 88% 78% 97% 7,006 days

Rounds with Text-Only Clues

These rounds have clues with text descriptions but no linked crossword puzzles.

Date Solution Words Description
2/10/2026 SCARF, SNARF, and SAME A variety KEALOA round … the answer to each round clue is the word which has been the answer more often for the given puzzle clue.
4/15/2025 ORSK and OREL Brian gave Ryan a new list of clues from unpublished puzzles. Ryan missed the first 6 and got 100% of the rest.
1/30/2024 (#2) BEAT and BEST Bonus round! In this round, Brian simply gave Ryan the clues but did not identify the puzzle dates nor constructors from which these clues were taken.

Rounds With Unused Answer Words

These rounds have at least one solution word that was never used as a correct answer for any clue.

Date Solution Words Unused Words Description
10/24/2023 (#2) IOTA and MOTE IOTA Suggested by C. S. Simpson. Extra credit round!
8/22/2023 SO DO I, SO AM I, AS DO I, and AS AM I AS DO I First round featuring more than two possible correct answers and the increase in opportunity to be wrong.

Rounds with Multiple Players

These rounds had more than one player guessing answers.

Date Solution Words Players Player Names Description
10/31/2023 SIS and SIB 3 Ryan Hecht, Shannon Rapp, Will Eisenberg Ryan gets a shot at redemption in a rematch with Shannon and Will.
8/1/2023 ERS and ORS 3 Ryan Hecht, Shannon Rapp, Will Eisenberg The first three-way competition in KEALOA history.
1/31/2023 UGH and ICK 2 Ryan Hecht, Shannon Rapp Suggested by Sharon Fenick. Shannon won the tie-breaker.
1/17/2023 ACME and APEX 2 Ben Zimmer, Ryan Hecht Two debuts! First, the KEALOA segment theme music, and second, the first head-to-head competitive round of KEALOA, featuring Ryan vs. The Barnacle.

Repeated Constructors in a Round

These rounds have a constructor who appears on more than one puzzle.

Date Solution Words Constructor Puzzles Description
7/15/2025 STICK and CANE Unknown 5 A special KEALOA for Episode 500. Ryan did exactly as well as everyone expected. Also, the first episode to feature answers of different lengths.
1/16/2024 LOAN and LEND Andrea Carla Michaels 3 Suggested by Will Eisenberg. The clues are only for the verb form of each answer.
9/23/2025 EYRE and EMMA Timothy Polin 2 It's always EYRE!
3/12/2024 ATOP and UPON Unknown 2
1/16/2024 LOAN and LEND Unknown 2 Suggested by Will Eisenberg. The clues are only for the verb form of each answer.
5/9/2023 BAA and MAA Matthew Stock 2 Suggested by Peter Gordon.
1/24/2023 ELUDE and EVADE Patrick Berry 2 Suggested by Matt Gritzmacher.

Hit for the Cycle

These rounds featured puzzles from every day of the week (Sunday through Saturday).

Date Solution Words Puzzles Description
10/8/2024 KIRA and LAURA 10 The inaugural round of "KIRALAURA". In this round, the answer KIRA means the entry in the grid is one of either KIRA, KEIRA, or KYRA. The answer LAURA means the entry in the grid is one of either LAURA, LORA, or LARA.
1/30/2024 (#1) SOUP and STEW 10
11/14/2023 EGRET and HERON 10 Suggested by Eric Peterson.
3/14/2023 EON and ERA 13 Ryan was given multiple puzzle clues with the same answers for round clues 9 and 10.
1/31/2023 UGH and ICK 10 Suggested by Sharon Fenick. Shannon won the tie-breaker.
1/17/2023 ACME and APEX 10 Two debuts! First, the KEALOA segment theme music, and second, the first head-to-head competitive round of KEALOA, featuring Ryan vs. The Barnacle.