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
BED · REST · PUPIL · BULLFROG · SPENT · CLASS · DRAINED · BUSHED · MUSH · IRIS · RETINA · HORSEFLY · TURTLEDOVE · LENS · CATFISH · WEARY
Group 1
Hint 1: A nudge
These four always work as a team whenever you take in a view.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
One lets light in, one bends it, one controls how much gets through, and one senses it.
Hint 3: Nearly there
An optician could point to each of these during a routine exam.
Group 2
Hint 1: A nudge
On their own these feel unfinished, and the same addition completes them all.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
One becomes a fungus, one a place for students, one a piece of furniture's home.
Hint 3: Nearly there
The missing piece is a space you might sleep in, study in, or tidy up.
Group 3
Hint 1: A nudge
How you might feel at the very end of a long day.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
One also describes money that's been used up; another describes a flat battery.
Hint 3: Nearly there
All four mean worn out after a lot of effort.
Group 4
Hint 1: A nudge
Look closely: each of these is really two things joined together.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
Each name is a compound word whose opening syllable points somewhere unexpected.
Hint 3: Nearly there
Every one names an animal, and so does each of its two halves.