The 1% Club sets new record as 46 contestants use their pass on one word puzzle

A seemingly simple word puzzle left contestants on The 1% Club so uncertain that a record 46 players chose to use their pass rather than risk being eliminated.

The ITV quiz show, hosted by Lee Mack, is known for its deceptively difficult questions, but this particular challenge produced an extraordinary response. Alongside the 46 contestants who passed, another seven players answered incorrectly, meaning more than half of those taking part failed to give the correct answer.

A record number of contestants chose to pass

The question gave players just 30 seconds to find the word that could be transformed into another valid word by swapping two of its letters.

They were given three options:

• Conversation
• Dialogue
• Chat
• 

Despite having multiple choices, many contestants struggled to identify the hidden wordplay.

Rather than gamble with their place in the game, 46 players opted to use their pass and move on to the next question.

Another seven contestants went for an answer but got it wrong.

When Lee Mack revealed just how many passes had been used, the scale of the result became clear.

“Now, you’ve just broken a record you lot, because, between you, you have just used 46 passes!” Lee told the players.

An audible gasp reportedly swept through the contestants as they reacted to the unexpected figure.

The answer was hiding in “Conversation”

The correct answer was Conversation.

The trick was to swap the V and S in the word.

Doing so produces Conservation, which is also a valid word.

That small change was enough to separate the correct answer from the other two options — but with only 30 seconds to spot it, dozens of contestants decided that taking the pass was safer than risking elimination.

The result highlighted just how easily a seemingly familiar word can become difficult when players are racing against the clock.

Another 1% Club puzzle had already eliminated 16 players

The record-breaking word question came shortly after another challenging puzzle had caused a major shake-up on the show.

In that challenge, contestants were asked to work out all the possible combinations that could produce the number 10, using only the provided faces of the dice and using each face only once.

They again had 30 seconds to find the solution.

Before Lee revealed the answer, it was confirmed that 16 players had been eliminated after getting the question wrong.

Lee explained that there were only three possible answers from the options given that could produce 10.

While some contestants managed to work out the combinations, 16 players were unable to find the correct solution before time ran out.

Together, the two questions demonstrated how quickly The 1% Club can turn straightforward-looking puzzles into high-pressure tests — with contestants forced to decide whether to trust their instincts or use one of their precious passes.