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Start of a phone number

MEMaya EllisonPuzzle Editor · Verified answers

USA Today Up & Down Words clue · answer #2 in the chain · last seen August 31, 2026

Answer
AREA
CODE
AREA CODE · 8 letters · two-word phrase

About this clue

The Up & Down Words clue “Start of a phone number” has the answer AREA CODE. It is answer #2 in the chain — in this puzzle, the second word of each answer becomes the first word of the next. See the full August 31, 2026 chain for all seven answers, or browse every Up & Down Words puzzle.