Dive #10 · 25-second run

25-second pick · +85

Name a former republic of the Soviet Union

Tajikistan Deep Cut

10 letters · 1 word · ~2s to type · 17 accepted answers on the sheet

If the first word feels too easy, it probably scores 10. We would type Tajikistan: Deep Cut, +85, 10 letters, about 2 seconds on a keyboard. Do not burn the 25 seconds on Belarus, Russia, or Ukraine — those are Plankton. The trench answer is Karelo-Finnish SSR (+100), but only take it if you can spell it cold.

Trench spelling, only if you already know it: Karelo-Finnish SSR +100

Skip Belarus · Russia · Ukraine

25-second pick · +85

Name a dinosaur

Baryonyx Deep Cut

8 letters · 1 word · ~2s to type · 76 accepted answers on the sheet

If the first word feels too easy, it probably scores 10. We would type Baryonyx: Deep Cut, +85, 8 letters, about 2 seconds on a keyboard. Do not burn the 25 seconds on Brachiosaurus, Pterodactyl, Stegosaurus, or Triceratops — those are Plankton. The trench answer is Leaellynasaura (+100), but only take it if you can spell it cold.

Trench spelling, only if you already know it: Leaellynasaura +100

Skip Brachiosaurus · Pterodactyl · Stegosaurus · Triceratops

25-second pick · +100

Name a pizza topping

Nduja One in a Krillion

5 letters · 1 word · ~2s to type · 58 accepted answers on the sheet

Walk past the supermarket default. We would type Nduja: One in a Krillion, +100, 5 letters, about 2 seconds on a keyboard. Do not burn the 25 seconds on Cheese, Mushrooms, Pepperoni, or Sausage — those are Plankton. It is also the One in a Krillion on this sheet, so the rare pick and the typeable pick are the same.

Skip Cheese · Mushrooms · Pepperoni · Sausage

25-second pick · +85

Name a TV sitcom

Archer Deep Cut

6 letters · 1 word · ~2s to type · 119 accepted answers on the sheet

Skip the poster title everyone already watched. We would type Archer: Deep Cut, +85, 6 letters, about 2 seconds on a keyboard. Do not burn the 25 seconds on Friends, Seinfeld, or The Office — those are Plankton. The trench answer is Detectorists (+100), but only take it if you can spell it cold.

Trench spelling, only if you already know it: Detectorists +100

Skip Friends · Seinfeld · The Office

25-second pick · +85

Name a programming language

ALGOL Deep Cut

5 letters · 1 word · ~2s to type · 78 accepted answers on the sheet

Leave the textbook headline for later — it is usually Plankton. We would type ALGOL: Deep Cut, +85, 5 letters, about 2 seconds on a keyboard. Do not burn the 25 seconds on Java, JavaScript, or Python — those are Plankton. The trench answer is APL (+100), but only take it if you can spell it cold.

Trench spelling, only if you already know it: APL +100

Skip Java · JavaScript · Python

25-second pick · +100

Name an Olympic track and field event

Tug of war One in a Krillion

8 letters · 3 words · ~4s to type · 44 accepted answers on the sheet

Avoid the franchise or event that fills sports-bar talk. We would type Tug of war: One in a Krillion, +100, 8 letters, about 4 seconds on a keyboard. Do not burn the 25 seconds on 100 metres, High jump, Long jump, or Marathon — those are Plankton. It is also the One in a Krillion on this sheet, so the rare pick and the typeable pick are the same.

Skip 100 metres · High jump · Long jump · Marathon

25-second pick · +100

Name a nut

Boab nut One in a Krillion

7 letters · 2 words · ~2s to type · 39 accepted answers on the sheet

If the first word feels too easy, it probably scores 10. We would type Boab nut: One in a Krillion, +100, 7 letters, about 2 seconds on a keyboard. Do not burn the 25 seconds on Almond, Cashew, Peanut, or Walnut — those are Plankton. It is also the One in a Krillion on this sheet, so the rare pick and the typeable pick are the same.

Skip Almond · Cashew · Peanut · Walnut