Four by Four hints ·
Hints for the Four by Four puzzle
Open one hint at a time for each group. Hints go from a vague nudge to nearly naming the category, and each group stays hidden until you choose to reveal it. Play this puzzle.
The sixteen words
TOPAZ · PANE · STRAW · SWINE · LATCH · WHALE · GOOSE · STEAM · CRUMB · BLUE · AMBER · SILL · SASH · PEARL · ELDER · OPAL
Group 1
Hint 1: A nudge
Each of these doubles as the name of a colour.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
Small, prized, and often polished, though not every one of them formed inside rock.
Hint 3: Nearly there
Set into rings and necklaces by a jeweller, including one that grew inside a shell and one that began as tree resin.
Group 2
Hint 1: A nudge
Each is an ordinary word on its own, but all four belong to one fixture in a house.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
You would find every one of them on something that is often painted white and can be swung or slid open.
Hint 3: Nearly there
Name the pieces of the thing in a wall that lets in daylight.
Group 3
Hint 1: A nudge
Four words that feel unfinished on their own.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
The same five-letter ending completes every one of them, and all four results are edible.
Hint 3: Nearly there
Think of small fruits that grow on bushes and end up in jams, pies and summer puddings.
Group 4
Hint 1: A nudge
Look inside these words rather than at what they mean.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
Each one hides a shorter word in consecutive letters, ignoring the start and end.
Hint 3: Nearly there
Something you could pour into a glass is lurking inside every one of them.