puzzle

Compared meaning: to make someone confused (verb).

比较义项：使人感到困惑、难以理解（动词）。

• puzzle 本词

  The mildest term: describes momentary confusion over something hard to understand, often solvable with a little thought; common in everyday, informal contexts and often used with a following 'why/how' clause.

  语气最轻，指一时想不明白某件难懂的事，通常稍加思考就能想通；多用于日常口语场合，后面常接why或how引导的从句。

  The riddle puzzled her for a minute, but then she figured out the answer.

  这个谜语让她困惑了一分钟，但随后她想出了答案。

• baffle

  Stronger than puzzle: suggests total confusion despite genuine effort, often used when experts, professionals, or specialists cannot find any explanation for a difficult problem.

  语气比puzzle更强，表示尽管认真尝试仍完全无法理解，常用于专家、专业人士对某个难题束手无策、找不到任何解释的情形。

  The engine noise baffled every mechanic who tried to diagnose it.

  这台引擎发出的噪音让每一位尝试诊断的技师都困惑不解。

• mystify

  As strong as baffle but adds a sense of mystery or strangeness, implying something seems inexplicable or almost magical, without necessarily any active problem-solving attempt.

  语气与baffle一样强，但带有神秘、怪异的色彩，暗示某事似乎无法解释、近乎不可思议，且不一定涉及主动解决问题的过程。

  The eerie lights in the sky mystified everyone who saw them that night.

  那晚，天空中诡异的光芒让每一个看到的人都感到困惑不解。

Puzzle, baffle, and mystify all mean to confuse someone, but with different strength. Puzzle is mildest, describing confusion that a little thought can solve. Baffle is stronger, suggesting total confusion even after effort. Mystify is as strong but adds a feeling of mystery or strangeness.

这三个词都表示使人困惑、无法理解，但语气强弱不同：puzzle语气最轻，指经过思考多少能解开的困惑；baffle和mystify语气更重，指完全无法理解，其中mystify还带有神秘、怪异的色彩。这里不比较puzzle作名词表示谜题、拼图的用法。