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Puzzle Answers
What Does Wasgij Mean?
The short answer
Wasgij is the word "jigsaw" spelt backwards. It is pronounced "Woz-gidge", with a soft g on the end, as in "fridge". The backwards name describes a backwards puzzle: the image printed on the box is not the image you assemble. Jumbo launched the concept in 1997.
Read it backwards. W-A-S-G-I-J becomes J-I-G-S-A-W.
That is the whole joke, and like most good product names it is also the instruction manual. A Wasgij is a jigsaw run in reverse, and the reversal is specific: the picture on the box is not the picture you build.
What the name is warning you about
On a normal puzzle the lid is your reference. You sort against it, you find the horizon on it, you check your work with it.
A Wasgij lid shows you a scene full of people reacting to something you cannot see. What you build is the thing they are reacting to. It appears nowhere on the box, and there is no picture of it inside the box either.
So the lid is not a map, it is evidence. Every face turned the same way, every dropped bag, every expression of horror or delight is a clue about a scene you have never laid eyes on. You form a theory, then you build it blind.
Where the name came from
The brand came to market in 1997 with the concept now called Wasgij Original. Before the name settled, the story that circulates among puzzlers is that the idea was floated as ELZZUP, which is "puzzle" backwards and considerably harder to say out loud. Wasgij won, deservedly.
The practical thing to take from the name. Because you have lost the reference image, piece count stops being a reliable guide to effort. A 1000 piece Wasgij takes most people closer to the time a 1500 piece conventional puzzle would. If you are buying one as a gift, that is worth knowing before you pick the biggest box on the shelf.
One more thing the name does not tell you
There are several Wasgij series, and they are not equally hard. Mystery asks what happens next, so the characters and setting carry over from the box and you keep a lot of your reference. Original asks what the people are looking at, so nothing on the box appears in your puzzle at all. Original is the difficult one, and it is a rough place to start.
Now you can say it, try one
Shop Wasgij
Our full Wasgij range, in both the Jumbo and the New Zealand made Holdson editions. If it is your first, start with a Mystery.
Go deeper
- The Complete Guide to Wasgij, every series explained, ranked by difficulty, plus whether to buy the Jumbo or Holdson edition
- The Puzzle Library, everything we have written, organised by what you want to find out
Common questions
How do you pronounce Wasgij?
"Woz-gidge". The last syllable rhymes with "fridge", not with "gig". Almost everyone reads the word before they hear it, so mispronouncing it is close to universal.
Is Wasgij a brand or a type of puzzle?
Both, and that is why it causes confusion. Wasgij is a trademarked range owned by the Dutch puzzle maker Jumbo, and it is also the only range built on this particular mechanic, so the brand name has become the shorthand for the concept.
Who makes Wasgij puzzles?
Jumbo created and owns the brand. In Australia and New Zealand you will also find Wasgij puzzles made by Holdson in New Zealand under licence, using the same artwork.
Sources and further reading
Last reviewed and updated 30 July 2026 by Michael, Owner, Premium Puzzles. We keep this page current as the range and the market change, rather than letting it age as a dated post.
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