The 1% Club contestants stumped by deceptively simple word puzzle – but can you solve it?

A four-letter word was all it took to send six contestants packing on The 1% Club — and the answer was hiding in a list of words that seemed almost too straightforward.

The ITV quiz show, hosted by Lee Mack since it launched in April 2022, is unlike traditional general-knowledge programmes. Rather than testing contestants on obscure facts, it challenges them with questions based on logic, reasoning and common sense.

With 100 contestants initially taking part, players have just 30 seconds to tackle each question. The challenges gradually become more difficult, moving from questions that 90 per cent of the population should supposedly answer correctly down to the notoriously difficult 1 per cent question.

A four-letter word proves surprisingly difficult

In a recent repeat of a Series Two episode, the 20 per cent question proved enough to eliminate six of the contestants who were still in the game.

The challenge asked:

“Which four-letter word is missing from this list?”

The sequence featured a collection of words made from the same four letters, including “spot,” “opts,” “pots” and “tops.”

It looked like a straightforward word puzzle. But with only seconds to work out what was missing, several contestants failed to spot the final possibility.

After the tense countdown, Lee revealed that the missing word was “post” — explaining that it was the only other word that could be formed from those four letters.

So, did you manage to find it before the answer was revealed?

One contestant takes on the 1% question

The episode became even more challenging as the field narrowed, eventually leaving just one contestant, Brett, to face the final 1% question.

Brett had already secured £1,000, but he had another decision to make. He could walk away with an additional £10,000 or risk his position by attempting to win the full £96,000 jackpot.

He chose to go for the big prize.

However, when the final question appeared, Brett immediately appeared taken aback by its difficulty. He spent the full 30 seconds trying to work out the answer, but ultimately could not see the connection.

Afterwards, he admitted to Lee: “I didn’t know it. I put last. I just couldn’t see it.”

Unfortunately for Brett, his answer was wrong.

The word Lee was looking for was “only.”

While Brett missed out on the jackpot, the earlier four-letter word puzzle had already demonstrated just how easily seemingly simple questions on The 1% Club can catch contestants out.

Sometimes, the hardest part isn’t knowing the answer — it’s seeing the pattern before the clock runs out.