DAILY NO. 5 · VERIFIED MEASUREMENTS
The September 26, 2026 puzzle ran from a hamburger at 10 cm to a cheese wheel at 36 cm — about 4× apart, drawing on food & drink. The pair furthest apart was round 5: a carrot is 1.2× as big as an ice cream cone.
Puzzle #5 asked about a cheese wheel, a hot dog, a hamburger, a birthday cake and a carrot. Each answer below gives the measured size, the reference it stood beside and the source behind the number. Want the surprise first? Replay this puzzle — archived days never touch your streak.
Answer: Cheese Wheel — 36 cm. A cheese wheel measures 36 cm (length / span), which is almost exactly the same size as the reference, a laptop computer at 35 cm.
A whole Parmigiano Reggiano wheel weighs close to 40 kg and ages for at least twelve months.
Common miss: players tend to compress a cheese wheel when it sits beside a laptop computer — big things get squeezed, small familiar things get stretched.
Answer: Hot Dog — 15 cm. A hot dog measures 15 cm (length / span), which is almost exactly the same size as the reference, a hard-shell taco at 15 cm.
The frank is made to match the bun, not the other way round.
Common miss: players tend to inflate a hot dog when it sits beside a hard-shell taco — big things get squeezed, small familiar things get stretched.
Answer: Hamburger — 10 cm. A hamburger measures 10 cm (length / span), which is almost exactly the same size as the reference, a praying mantis at 10 cm.
A patty shrinks by about a quarter on the grill, which is why the bun always looks oversized.
Common miss: players tend to inflate a hamburger when it sits beside a praying mantis — big things get squeezed, small familiar things get stretched.
Answer: Birthday Cake — 25 cm. A birthday cake measures 25 cm (length / span), which is almost exactly the same size as the reference, an NBA basketball at 24.3 cm.
A 25 cm round is the standard “serves twelve” size.
Common miss: players tend to compress a birthday cake when it sits beside an NBA basketball — big things get squeezed, small familiar things get stretched.
Answer: Carrot — 20 cm. A carrot measures 20 cm (height), which is 1.2× as big as the reference, an ice cream cone at 17 cm.
Supermarket carrots are pulled young — left in the ground they keep growing.
Common miss: players tend to compress a carrot when it sits beside an ice cream cone — big things get squeezed, small familiar things get stretched.
Sizes are measured along the axis named in each round and link to their published source. Explore the full library by category, or read how scoring works.