In this word puzzle, each word of a well known proverb has exactly one letter changed: "So nets if goof mews". What is the original English proverb?

Introduction / Context:
This puzzle presents a disguised proverb where each word has one incorrect letter. Your task is to reverse that corruption and recover the original saying. Such problems test pattern recognition, vocabulary and familiarity with common English proverbs. The string So nets if goof mews looks meaningless at first, but its rhythm and word lengths suggest that it hides a well known phrase underneath.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The scrambled phrase is So nets if goof mews.
• We are told that each word has exactly one letter replaced.
• The original expression is a standard English proverb.
• Answer choices list several famous proverbs, including No news is good news.

Concept / Approach:
Because each word differs by only one letter, we should compare So nets if goof mews with proverbs of the same word count and similar word lengths. No news is good news has five words, just like the puzzle, and the length of each word matches closely. By adjusting one letter at a time, we can see whether each scrambled word can be corrected to match a candidate proverb. This method allows us to confirm the correct proverb systematically rather than guessing purely from memory.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Write the scrambled words and the candidate proverb words side by side: Puzzle: So / nets / if / goof / mews Proverb: No / news / is / good / news Step 2: Compare So and No. They match in length and share the letter o. Only the first letter differs, so changing S to N recovers No. Step 3: Compare nets and news. Both have four letters and share n e s. The third letter differs (t versus w). Changing t to w gives news. Step 4: Compare if and is. Both have two letters; they differ only in the second letter. Changing f to s yields is. Step 5: Compare goof and good. They share g o o, differing only in the last letter (f versus d). Replacing f with d produces good. Step 6: Compare mews and news. They share e w s, and changing the first letter m to n produces news. Step 7: Each scrambled word becomes a correct proverb word by changing exactly one letter, so the hidden proverb is No news is good news.

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, we can try mapping the scrambled words to other options such as Practice makes perfect or Better late than never. These candidate proverbs have different word counts and different word length patterns, so they cannot match the structure of So nets if goof mews while respecting the rule of exactly one letter difference per word. Since only No news is good news fits perfectly in both structure and transformation rules, the identification is secure.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Many hands make light work: This proverb has four words, not five, and the lengths do not align with the puzzle words.
Practice makes perfect: Again, the number of words and their lengths are very different from those in the scrambled phrase.
Every cloud has a silver lining: This proverb is much longer and cannot be formed from five short words differing by only one letter each.
Better late than never: The pattern of word lengths does not match the puzzle; attempts to align them fail the one letter change rule.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent mistake is to focus only on the sound of the scrambled phrase, which can mislead you into guessing at random. Another pitfall is to ignore the exact rule that each word must differ by only one letter, leading to attempts to force ill fitting proverbs into the puzzle. The best strategy is to check word counts, length patterns and letter by letter differences. Once you approach it methodically, the intended proverb stands out clearly.

Final Answer:
The original proverb hidden in the phrase So nets if goof mews is No news is good news.