Random Puzzles 

Workings

Hint
Consonants and vowels (AEIOU) are each worth something.

Answer
12 miles away.

Consonants are worth 2 and vowels (AEIOU) are worth 3.

Double-Checking
York
   3C + 1V = 3 x 2 + 3 = 9
London
   4C + 2V = 4 x 2 + 2 x 3 = 14
Manchester
   7C + 3V = 7 x 2 + 3 x 3 = 23
Leeds
   3C + 2V = 3 x 2 + 2 x 3 = 12

Workings

Hint
helium = h-- + l--

Answers
helium = hum + lie latest = let + sat almond = man + old eldest = led + set placed = cap + led radium = air + mud desert = red + set wealth = law + the tricky = cry + kit funnel = elf + nun
Alternative Answers
The following answers use less common words.

helium = him + leu
helium = hue + mil
helium = hum + lei

latest = els + tat

almond = don + lam
almond = lam + nod

eldest = eld + set
eldest = els + ted

placed = pec + lad

radium = mud + ria
radium = amu + rid
radium = aid + rum

wealth = awl + the
wealth = haw + let

There are more answers with even rarer words, but I've chosen not to include those.

Workings

Hint
Think about the first digits of the numbers.

Answer
There are more 2's because of the numbers beginning with 20,000.

Workings

Hint
Don't forget the extra 9's in 90, 91, etc.

Answer
300.

Reasoning
Start with: 9, 19, 29, 39, 49, 59, 69, 79, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99 – which is 20 9's.

We then repeat this for 100, 200, 300, up to 900 – which is 200 9's.

But from 900 to 999 we have an extra 100 9's as each starts with a 9.

So the total is 300.