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
EARTH · TRIFLE · BROOK · SUNDAE · COBBLER · BOOK · BEAR · STAND · TOOTH · GLOW · MOUSSE · BELLY · SILK · BACK · WEATHER · HEAD
Group 1
Hint 1: A nudge
These four could all turn up on the same page of a cafe menu.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
One is whipped and airy, one is layered in a bowl, one is baked with fruit, one is scooped and topped.
Hint 3: Nearly there
Think of the sweet course that follows everything else.
Group 2
Hint 1: A nudge
Four plain words that each need the same tail to be complete.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
Once completed, all four name a complaint you might mention to a doctor.
Hint 3: Nearly there
Add the same four letters to each and you get a dull pain in a particular spot.
Group 3
Hint 1: A nudge
These four look unrelated until the same ending is attached.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
Each becomes a compound noun ending in the same five letters.
Hint 3: Nearly there
The shared ending is a small legless creature that burrows through soil.
Group 4
Hint 1: A nudge
Their most familiar meanings are a distraction.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
Each one is commonly a noun, but they share a less obvious verb sense.
Hint 3: Nearly there
All four can describe getting through something unpleasant without giving in.