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
HITCH · DISH · RICOTTA · CONTINENT · CHEDDAR · WASH · FETA · SACK · TABLE · REEF · SLIP · BRIE · ENVIRONMENT · PLEADING · MARIGOLD · GRANNY
Group 1
Hint 1: A nudge
You might arrange these on a wooden platter for guests.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
Some are crumbly, some are creamy, and some are sharp.
Hint 3: Nearly there
All four are varieties of the same dairy product.
Group 2
Hint 1: A nudge
Each of these words is waiting for a tail.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
Add the same five letters to the end of each and you get four household things.
Hint 3: Nearly there
Think of woven material used for wiping, covering, or rough garments.
Group 3
Hint 1: A nudge
Sailors and scouts would recognize this set.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
Each word has an everyday meaning, but together they belong to rope.
Hint 3: Nearly there
Some hold fast, some tighten when pulled, and one is famously done wrong.
Group 4
Hint 1: A nudge
Don't trust the surface of these words.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
Something valuable is buried in each one, spanning the letters.
Hint 3: Nearly there
Each conceals a material you could dig out of the ground and melt down.