Word

Martin in Red Herring

Answer or decoy? Always part of a group — across 16 boards

Martin has appeared on 16 boards: 16 times inside a themed group and 0 times as a red herring. That is a 0% decoy rate.

16Boards
16In a group
0As a herring
0%Decoy rate
Answer or decoy

Is Martin a Red Herring?

Every appearance of Martin across the 3,529-board archive, and whether it belonged to a group that day or to the herrings.

In a group · 16 0 · red herring
100% part of a group 0% a red herring
Martin is always part of a group.

Groups it has belonged to

Why it fitted

What the Puzzle Said About Martin

01

January 9, 2019

Chris Martin is co-founder of and singer for the British group Coldplay.

02

August 22, 2021

Chris Martin is co-founder of and singer for the British group Coldplay.

03

April 4, 2024

Chris Martin is co-founder of and singer for the British group Coldplay.

04

July 10, 2025

C. F. Martin & Company was run by family from its founding in 1833 until 2021 (but the founder's great-great-great-grandson still chairs the board).

Reading a board

Using a Word's History Without Being Fooled By It

01

A high decoy rate is a warning, not a rule

Martin has been a red herring on 0% of its appearances. That makes it worth leaving until last, not worth discarding — the board decides, and the three-group structure is what settles it.

02

Themes repeat, words move between them

This word has sat in 5 different themes. A returning theme brings different members with it, which is why the category pages show every word a theme has ever used rather than a fixed four.

03

Count to sixteen first

Three groups of four plus four herrings. Four words are meant to be left over, and expecting that is what stops you forcing a fourth group that was never there.

How to play

How to Solve a Red Herring Board

The order that clears a board fastest.

STEP 01

Count to sixteen first

Three groups of four plus four red herrings. Four words are meant to be left over — see any board in the archive.

STEP 02

Lock the tightest theme

Solve the most specific group first; each correct group removes four candidates from everything else.

STEP 03

Distrust the near-miss

A word that almost fits two groups is usually a decoy — which is exactly what a page like this one records.

How we check

Verified Answers, Not Guesses

How we verify every board Martin has appeared on, and whether it was an answer or a decoy each time

Word histories are built from the 3,529 dated boards in our archive rather than from any published list — the source has no word pages. Each appearance links to the board it came from so it can be checked. The routine is in our methodology and the standards in our editorial policy.

Reviewed by Priya Raghunathan, Word Games Editor at Puzzle Solved. The full checking routine is in the methodology, and the standards every page is held to are in the editorial policy.

Last checked — Aug 25, 2026
Numbers

Red Herring by the numbers

16Appearances
0%Decoy rate
9,550Words tracked
3,529Boards archived
Good to know

Martin FAQ

Is Martin a red herring in Red Herring?
Not so far. Across 16 boards it has always belonged to a group, never to the decoys.
How many times has Martin appeared?
16 boards between May 14, 2018 and July 10, 2025. The archive holds 3,529 boards in total, on the daily archive.
Which groups has Martin belonged to?
Oscars Hosts, Guitar Manufacturers, Famous People Named Chris, British Rock Singers, Guitar Brands. Recurring themes have their own pages listing every word they have used.
Does knowing this help me solve today's board?
It narrows a guess rather than making it for you. A word with a high decoy rate like this one is worth leaving alone until the groups you are sure of are locked; that is the order set out in the how to play guide. We hold 9,550 words this way, of which 2,050 have been both an answer and a decoy.
Discussion

Discuss Martin

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