Spectrum #84: Order these cities by their original area code — the solution

The Spectrum puzzle from November 6, 2026: six things on one hidden scale, lowest to highest, with every figure and where the checks were best spent.

The puzzle

Order these cities by their original area code, lowest at the top and highest at the bottom. The board opened in this order:

1. Miami
2. New York City
3. Chicago
4. San Francisco
5. Los Angeles
6. Washington, DC

New York City was already in place; Washington, DC opened 5 places from home.

The walkthrough

The ends first. Washington, DC is the lowest of the six at 202 and San Francisco the highest at 415. Anchor those and the middle four are what is left to place.

Where the scale splits. The widest gap is between Chicago (312) and San Francisco (415) — 103 apart. Everything above that line belongs on the lowest side and everything below it on the highest side, so sorting the six into those two groups is most of the puzzle.

The closest call. New York City (212) and Los Angeles (213) are only 1 apart — the pair that is a coin flip without the figures, and the place to spend a check: a check locks whatever is already right and leaves only the wrong tiles to swap.

The answer

Previous: Spectrum #83 (Thu, Nov 5) · Next: Spectrum #85 (Sat, Nov 7) · All Spectrum solutions

About Spectrum

Spectrum is Noggin’s daily ordering puzzle: six things, one hidden scale, three checks. Tiles in the right place lock green; the figures turn over when the board is done. How to play Spectrum, or play today’s.