Size It Up

ALL ANSWERS · INSECTS · DAILY No. 17 · SEPTEMBER 20, 2026

Size It Up Insects answer: September 20

The five Insects silhouettes for September 20, 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 17 ran from a western flower thrips (1.4 mm) to a Queen Alexandra's birdwing (26 cm). The widest gap was round 2, Western Flower Thrips against Firebrat, at 8.2×; the closest call was round 3, European Praying Mantis against Luna Moth, only 1.5× apart — the kind of round that separates a 90 from a 60.

  1. ROUND 1

    Large Milkweed Bug (adult) vs Common House Mosquito (adult)

    Common House Mosquito · reference · 5 mm
    Large Milkweed Bug · true length · 1.5 cm

    3.0× longer than the common house mosquito

    Large Milkweed Bug: 15 mm body length for the selected adult. Selected 15 mm within the source’s stated 10–18 mm adult length range. Head to abdomen tip; antennae and legs excluded.

  2. ROUND 2

    Western Flower Thrips (adult female) vs Firebrat (adult)

    Firebrat · reference · 1.15 cm
    Western Flower Thrips · true length · 1.4 mm

    8.2× shorter than the firebrat

    Western Flower Thrips: 1.4 mm body length for the selected adult female. Published adult female length about 1.4 mm; the male is about 1 mm. Head to abdomen tip; antennae, fringed wings and legs excluded.

  3. ROUND 3

    European Praying Mantis (adult) vs Luna Moth (adult · open wings)

    Luna Moth · reference · 9 cm
    European Praying Mantis · true length · 6 cm

    1.5× shorter than the luna moth

    European Praying Mantis: 60 mm body length for the selected adult. Selected 60 mm within published adult range 50–65 mm. Head to abdomen tip; antennae and grasping legs excluded.

  4. ROUND 4

    Queen Alexandra's Birdwing (adult female · open wings) vs Annam Stick Insect (adult)

    Annam Stick Insect · reference · 10.3 cm
    Queen Alexandra's Birdwing · true wingspan · 26 cm

    2.5× wider than the Annam stick insect

    Queen Alexandra's Birdwing: 260 mm wingspan for the selected adult female. Selected 260 mm within the published female wingspan 250-280 mm; males reach about 200 mm. Furthest left to furthest right wingtip with wings spread.

  5. ROUND 5

    Oriental Beetle (adult) vs Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (adult)

    Brown Marmorated Stink Bug · reference · 1.7 cm
    Oriental Beetle · true length · 8.1 mm

    2.1× shorter than the brown marmorated stink bug

    Oriental Beetle: 8.1 mm body length for the selected adult. Selected 8.1 mm within the published adult range 7-11 mm. Head to elytra tip; antennae and legs excluded.

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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