RUBIK

I CAN'T SPELL YOU (Solution)

by Robyn Speer

This is a word search over Unicode characters. Instead of using the characters to spell words, we're using pieces of their official Unicode names to represent words or pieces of words.

The sequences one should find in the word search, in reading order by their single incorrect character, form song lyrics that are changed by expanding many contractions and replacing a letter with a hexadecimal digit:

0x122ba 𒊺   CUNEIFORM SIGN SHE
0xa76c  Ꝭ   LATIN CAPITAL LETTER IS
0xa984  ꦄ   JAVANESE LETTER A
0x1f759 🝙   ALCHEMICAL SYMBOL FOR BRICK
0x2227  ∧   LOGICAL AND
0x31ac  ㆬ   BOPOMOFO LETTER IM
0x1f64d 🙍   PERSON FROWNING
0x2f22  ⼢   KANGXI RADICAL GO SLOWLY
"She is a brick and I'm frowning slowly"
    extraction: f

0x10286 𐊆   LYCIAN LETTER I
0xa1ea  ꇪ   YI SYLLABLE GOT
0x1015c 𐅜   GREEK ACROPHONIC THESPIAN TWO
0x1d197 𝆗   MUSICAL SYMBOL TURN
0x2e87  ⺇   CJK RADICAL TABLE
0x1de4  ᷤ   COMBINING LATIN SMALL LETTER S
0x2227  ∧   LOGICAL AND
0x660   ٠   ARABIC-INDIC DIGIT ZERO
0x1f3a4 🎤   MICROPHONE
"I got two turn tables and 0 microphone"
    extraction: 0

0x1d040 𝁀   BYZANTINE MUSICAL SYMBOL NANA
0x1d040 𝁀   BYZANTINE MUSICAL SYMBOL NANA
0x1d040 𝁀   BYZANTINE MUSICAL SYMBOL NANA
0x1d040 𝁀   BYZANTINE MUSICAL SYMBOL NANA
0x104a9 𐒩   OSMANYA DIGIT NINE
0xfe6b  ﹫   SMALL COMMERCIAL AT
0x26c2  ⛂   BLACK DRAUGHTS MAN
"nananananananana 9AT MAN"
    extraction: 9

0x807   ࠇ   SAMARITAN LETTER IT
0xa76c  Ꝭ   LATIN CAPITAL LETTER IS
0x10308 𐌈   OLD ITALIC LETTER THE
0x2eab  ⺫   CJK RADICAL EYE
0x2208  ∈   ELEMENT OF
0x10308 𐌈   OLD ITALIC LETTER THE
0x1f405 🐅   TIGER
0x807   ࠇ   SAMARITAN LETTER IT
0xa76c  Ꝭ   LATIN CAPITAL LETTER IS
0x10a7c 𐩼   OLD SOUTH ARABIAN LETTER THETH
0x25a6  ▦   SQUARE WITH ORTHOGONAL CROSSHATCH FILL
0x2208  ∈   ELEMENT OF
0x10308 𐌈   OLD ITALIC LETTER THE
0x2fbe  ⾾   KANGXI RADICAL FIGHT
"It is the eye of the tiger, it is the thfill of the fight"
    extraction: f

0x10286 𐊆   LYCIAN LETTER I
0x30f9  ヹ   KATAKANA LETTER VE
0x633   س   ARABIC LETTER SEEN
0x1f525 🔥   FIRE
0x2227  ∧   LOGICAL AND
0xabf8  ꯸   MEETEI MAYEK DIGIT EIGHT
0x30f9  ヹ   KATAKANA LETTER VE
0x633   س   ARABIC LETTER SEEN
0x2ed7  ⻗   CJK RADICAL RAIN
"I've seen fire and 8've seen rain"
    extraction: 8

0x10286 𐊆   LYCIAN LETTER I
0xa1ea  ꇪ   YI SYLLABLE GOT
0xa0cb  ꃋ   YI SYLLABLE MY
0x3199  ㆙   IDEOGRAPHIC ANNOTATION FIRST MARK
0x2f9a  ⾚   KANGXI RADICAL RED
0xa8bc  ꢼ   SAURASHTRA VOWEL SIGN VOCALIC L
0x1d11c 𝄜   MUSICAL SYMBOL SIX-STRING FRETBOARD
"I got my first redl six-string"
    extraction: d

0xd5f2  헲   HANGUL SYLLABLE HELP
0x10286 𐊆   LYCIAN LETTER I
0x1294  ኔ   ETHIOPIC SYLLABLE NEE
0x1dd8  ᷘ   COMBINING LATIN SMALL LETTER INSULAR D
0xbd04  봄   HANGUL SYLLABLE BOM
0xa949  ꥉ   REJANG VOWEL SIGN E
0x2f9d  ⾝   KANGXI RADICAL BODY
"Help, I need bomebody"
    extraction: b

0x241   Ɂ   LATIN CAPITAL LETTER GLOTTAL STOP
0x1f528 🔨   HAMMER
0x9a4   ত   BENGALI LETTER TA
0x121d  ም   ETHIOPIC SYLLABLE ME
"Stop, hammer tame"
    extraction: a

0xfdfd  ﷽   ARABIC LIGATURE BISMILLAH AR-RAHMAN AR-RAHEEM
0x306e  の   HIRAGANA LETTER NO
0x10f3  ჳ   GEORGIAN LETTER WE
0x4def  ䷯   HEXAGRAM FOR THE WELL
0xac    ¬   NOT SIGN
0x16889 𖢉   BAMUM LETTER PHASE-B LET
0x2c26  Ⱖ   GLAGOLITIC CAPITAL LETTER YO
0xa825  ꠥ   SYLOTI NAGRI VOWEL SIGN U
0x3054  ご   HIRAGANA LETTER GO
"Bismillah no, we well not let you go"
    extraction: e

0x1f3af 🎯   DIRECT HIT
0x121d  ም   ETHIOPIC SYLLABLE ME
0x1f476 👶   BABY
0x215f  ⅟   FRACTION NUMERATOR ONE
0x10084 𐂄   LINEAR B IDEOGRAM B105F MARE
0x1272  ቲ   ETHIOPIC SYLLABLE TI
0x121d  ም   ETHIOPIC SYLLABLE ME
"Hit me baby one mare time"
    extraction: a

0x2235  ∵   BECAUSE
0x10308 𐌈   OLD ITALIC LETTER THE
0x1f76f 🝯   ALCHEMICAL SYMBOL FOR NIGHT
0x411   Б   CYRILLIC CAPITAL LETTER BE
0x17f   ſ   LATIN SMALL LETTER LONG S
0x1039a 𐎚   UGARITIC LETTER TO
0x1f3e9 🏩   LOVE HOTEL
0xabf8  ꯸   MEETEI MAYEK DIGIT EIGHT
0x1de4  ᷤ   COMBINING LATIN SMALL LETTER S
"Because the night belongs to love8s"
    extraction: 8

0x7cf   ߏ   NKO LETTER OO
0x2630  ☰   TRIGRAM FOR HEAVEN
0x1f194 🆔   SQUARED ID
0xa984  ꦄ   JAVANESE LETTER A
0x2318  ⌘   PLACE OF INTEREST SIGN
0x1046a 𐑪   SHAVIAN LETTER ON
0x2641  ♁   EARTH
"Oo, heaven id a place on earth"
    extraction: d

0x2407  ␇   SYMBOL FOR BELL
0x10286 𐊆   LYCIAN LETTER I
0x1f4ad 💭   THOUGHT BALLOON
0x841   ࡁ   MANDAIC LETTER AB
0x240e  ␎   SYMBOL FOR SHIFT OUT
0x4dc6  ䷆   HEXAGRAM FOR THE ARMY
"Bell I thought about the army"
    extraction: b

0x807   ࠇ   SAMARITAN LETTER IT
0xa76c  Ꝭ   LATIN CAPITAL LETTER IS
0x1f558 🕘   CLOCK FACE NINE OCLOCK
0x1046a 𐑪   SHAVIAN LETTER ON
0x103a  ်   MYANMAR SIGN ASAT
0x1232b 𒌫   CUNEIFORM SIGN UR2
0xec3   ໃ   LAO VOWEL SIGN AY
"It is nine o'clock on a Satur2ay"
    extraction: 2

0x1d040 𝁀   BYZANTINE MUSICAL SYMBOL NANA
0x1d040 𝁀   BYZANTINE MUSICAL SYMBOL NANA
0x1d040 𝁀   BYZANTINE MUSICAL SYMBOL NANA
0x1d040 𝁀   BYZANTINE MUSICAL SYMBOL NANA
0xfb23  ﬣ   HEBREW LETTER WIDE HE
0xeb6   ຶ   LAO VOWEL SIGN Y
0xfb23  ﬣ   HEBREW LETTER WIDE HE
0xeb6   ຶ   LAO VOWEL SIGN Y
0xac77  걷   HANGUL SYLLABLE GEOD
0xbcd8  볘   HANGUL SYLLABLE BYE
"Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey, geod bye"
    extraction: e

0x1f476 👶   BABY
0xc6a5  욥   HANGUL SYLLABLE YOB
0x1542  ᕂ   CANADIAN SYLLABICS RE
0xa984  ꦄ   JAVANESE LETTER A
0x1f387 🎇   FIREWORK SPARKLER
0x551   Ց   ARMENIAN CAPITAL LETTER CO
0xba3c  먼   HANGUL SYLLABLE MEON
0x16889 𖢉   BAMUM LETTER PHASE-B LET
0xea2   ຢ   LAO LETTER YO
0x1692  ᚒ   OGHAM LETTER UR
0x2f8a  ⾊   KANGXI RADICAL COLOR
0x1de4  ᷤ   COMBINING LATIN SMALL LETTER S
0xa031  ꀱ   YI SYLLABLE BUR
0x102c2 𐋂   CARIAN LETTER ST
"Baby yob're a firework, come on let your colors burst"
    extraction: b

0x10308 𐌈   OLD ITALIC LETTER THE
0x2f27  ⼧   KANGXI RADICAL ROOF
0x10308 𐌈   OLD ITALIC LETTER THE
0x2f27  ⼧   KANGXI RADICAL ROOF
0x10308 𐌈   OLD ITALIC LETTER THE
0x2f27  ⼧   KANGXI RADICAL ROOF
0xa76c  Ꝭ   LATIN CAPITAL LETTER IS
0x1046a 𐑪   SHAVIAN LETTER ON
0x1f525 🔥   FIRE
0x10f3  ჳ   GEORGIAN LETTER WE
0x2f4f  ⽏   KANGXI RADICAL DO NOT
0x8eed  軭   CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-8EED
0x306e  の   HIRAGANA LETTER NO
0x1f704 🜄   ALCHEMICAL SYMBOL FOR WATER
"The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire, we do not 8eed no water"
    extraction: 8

0x22b0  ⊰   PRECEDES UNDER RELATION
0xa0cb  ꃋ   YI SYLLABLE MY
0x2602  ☂   UMBRELLA
0x10422 𐐢   DESERET CAPITAL LETTER EL
0xfb3   ླ   TIBETAN SUBJOINED LETTER LA
0x10422 𐐢   DESERET CAPITAL LETTER EL
0xfb3   ླ   TIBETAN SUBJOINED LETTER LA
0x10422 𐐢   DESERET CAPITAL LETTER EL
0xfb3   ླ   TIBETAN SUBJOINED LETTER LA
0xec3   ໃ   LAO VOWEL SIGN AY
0xec3   ໃ   LAO VOWEL SIGN AY
0x12009 𒀉   CUNEIFORM SIGN A2
"Under my umbrella, ella, ella, ay, ay, a2"
    extraction: 2

0x1d32f 𝌯   TETRAGRAM FOR GOING TO MEET
0x122ea 𒋪   CUNEIFORM SIGN SUR9
0x2ecf  ⻏   CJK RADICAL CITY
0x2235  ∵   BECAUSE
0x807   ࠇ   SAMARITAN LETTER IT
0xa76c  Ꝭ   LATIN CAPITAL LETTER IS
0x1015c 𐅜   GREEK ACROPHONIC THESPIAN TWO
0x539   Թ   ARMENIAN CAPITAL LETTER TO
0x215f  ⅟   FRACTION NUMERATOR ONE
"Going to Sur9 City because it is two to one"
    extraction: 9

0x4dc7  ䷇   HEXAGRAM FOR HOLDING TOGETHER
0x121d  ም   ETHIOPIC SYLLABLE ME
0x2050  ⁐   CLOSE UP
0x215f  ⅟   FRACTION NUMERATOR ONE
0x29fe  ⧾   TINY
0x1f483 💃   DANCER
"Hold me close1 tiny dancer"
    extraction: 1

The remaining characters are not involved in the song lyrics (though many of them are red herrings that make you think they could). The first letters of their Unicode names form this 91-character message:

  ONCEYOUFINDTWENTYSONGLYRICSTAKEADIGITFROMEACHANDREADTHETWOWORDANSWERINSAMEWAYYOUREADTHEGRID

The puzzle was encoded in UTF-8. The bytes that are spelled 'f09f8dbaea8db2eb8291' in hex are the UTF-8 encoding of:

0x1f37a 🍺   BEER MUG
0xa372  ꍲ   YI SYLLABLE CHU
0xb091  낑   HANGUL SYLLABLE GGING

The answer is BEER CHUGGING.