Size It Up

ALL ANSWERS · INSECTS · DAILY No. 11 · SEPTEMBER 14, 2026

Size It Up Insects answer: September 14

The five Insects silhouettes for September 14, with the true sizes. If you have not played yet, this page is a spoiler — play these five first, then come back to argue with the numbers.

Day 11 ran from a black garden ant (3 mm) to an eastern tiger swallowtail (11 cm). The widest gap was round 5, Black Garden Ant against European Praying Mantis, at 20×; the closest call was round 3, Monarch Butterfly against Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, only 1.2× apart — the kind of round that separates a 90 from a 60.

  1. ROUND 1

    Emperor Dragonfly (adult · body length) vs Honeybee (adult)

    Honeybee · reference · 1.2 cm
    Emperor Dragonfly · true length · 7.8 cm

    6.5× longer than the honeybee

    Emperor Dragonfly: 78 mm body length for the selected adult. Published adult body length 78 mm. Head to abdomen tip; wings and legs excluded.

  2. ROUND 2

    Buff-tailed Bumblebee (large adult) vs Mourning Cloak (adult · open wings)

    Mourning Cloak · reference · 8 cm
    Buff-tailed Bumblebee · true length · 2.1 cm

    3.8× shorter than the mourning cloak

    Buff-tailed Bumblebee: 21 mm body length for the selected large adult. Selected 21 mm within published 20–22 mm range. Head to abdomen tip; wings, legs and antennae excluded.

  3. ROUND 3

    Monarch Butterfly (adult · open wings) vs Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (adult · open wings)

    Eastern Tiger Swallowtail · reference · 11 cm
    Monarch Butterfly · true wingspan · 9 cm

    1.2× shorter than the eastern tiger swallowtail

    Monarch Butterfly: 90 mm wingspan for the selected adult. Selected 90 mm within published 2.5–4.0 inch wingspan (63.5–101.6 mm). Furthest left to furthest right wingtip with wings spread.

  4. ROUND 4

    European Hornet (large adult) vs Peacock Butterfly (adult · open wings)

    Peacock Butterfly · reference · 6.9 cm
    European Hornet · true length · 3.5 cm

    2.0× shorter than the peacock butterfly

    European Hornet: 35 mm body length for the selected large adult. Published upper length 35 mm; a large adult, not a typical worker. Head to abdomen tip; wings, legs and antennae excluded.

  5. ROUND 5

    Black Garden Ant (worker) vs European Praying Mantis (adult)

    European Praying Mantis · reference · 6 cm
    Black Garden Ant · true length · 3 mm

    20× shorter than the European praying mantis

    Black Garden Ant: 3 mm body length for the selected worker. Published worker length 3 mm. Head to abdomen tip; antennae and legs excluded. Side outline rotated to align the body.

Beat these tomorrow

Every round is worth up to 100 points: within 6% of the true size scores 100, half or double scores 45, five times off scores zero. The daily puzzle is the same five for everyone and refreshes at midnight in your time zone; if you want more than five, Size It Up Unlimited draws fresh pairs from the whole library for as long as you like.

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MixedAnimals, planets and everyday things. AnimalsLength, height or wingspan — every round names the axis. GeographyEast–west or north–south span, never area. Pop CultureCheck the version. Compare the measured dimension. VehiclesLength end to end, or height for the ones that stand upright. DinosaursCompare estimated body length, from snout to tail tip. SpaceCompare body diameter. Rings and orbital distances are excluded. Everyday ObjectsLength, height or width — every round names the axis. InsectsBody length or wingspan — read the named measurement. LandmarksRead the named height, length or main span — including its endpoints. Food & DrinkRead the selected size and axis — length, diameter or container height.
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