WVXU: Test your word puzzle skills with a Cincinnati Edition-themed Hink Pink
UC English professor is a writer who also creates word games
On a segment of WVXU’s Cincinnati Edition host Lucy May spoke with word puzzle experts Anna Shechtman and Michael Griffith about the origins and popularity of word games over time.
For example, the free web based word game "Wordle" became popular during the pandemic when people were isolate and looking for distractions.
“It (Wordle) can be a really gratifying way of maintaining social connection,” Griffith, a professor of English at the University of Cincinnati, told May of still playing the game daily with a friend group.
Griffith, author of “The Speaking Stone” a non-fiction book about Spring Grove Cemetery, says his interest in word games started a few years ago while researching a character for a new novel.
From there his word games interest turned to developing games called “Hink Pink”, which are solved with two, three and four syllable words that rhyme. His Hink Pink puzzles appear in summer editions of The Southern Review.
Griffith also created a Hink Pink word puzzle for listeners to call in and solve, with the answer being "Lucy May/ Juicy Talk."
The experts also discussed word games in the digital age and the rise in popularity of word games during the pandemic.
Image of crossword puzzle at top/iStock photo/LeventKonuk.
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
UC expert weighs in on current MASH treatment approaches
June 5, 2026
As MedCentral recently reported, pending broader pharmacologic approvals for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), lifestyle modifications remain the go-to intervention.
State continues support for the Ohio Cyber Range
June 5, 2026
The Ohio Cyber Range Institute at the University of Cincinnati recently received $227,000 from the Ohio Controlling Board., reported Local 12 News. The OCRI manages the Ohio Cyber Range on behalf of the state. It is a statewide, collaborative network that supports cybersecurity programs across Ohio.
UC alumni-led band The National named among greatest living American songwriters
June 4, 2026
UC-connected band The National, co-founded by DAAP alumni, has been named to The New York Times Magazine readers’ list of the 100 Greatest Living American Songwriters.