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
PROBE · TRUNK · COMB · HILL · HUNGRY · CYPRESS · SEA · COUNTRY · WHALES · ROAD · CHILLY · BUMPER · HUNT · MUFFLER · HOOD · SCOUR
Group 1
Hint 1: A nudge
Forget the forest, the wardrobe and the harvest — these four belong somewhere else entirely.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
All four would turn up on a repair shop's invoice.
Hint 3: Nearly there
Think automobile: one up front, one at the back, one that quiets the engine, one that covers it.
Group 2
Hint 1: A nudge
These four share an action rather than a thing.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
Each can describe going over an area carefully.
Hint 3: Nearly there
A detective might do all four of these when looking for evidence.
Group 3
Hint 1: A nudge
Four of these words are waiting for a partner.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
Add the same four-letter ending to each one to make a familiar compound word.
Hint 3: Nearly there
Each result names a location: one by the ocean, one on sloping ground, one along a highway, one well out of town.
Group 4
Hint 1: A nudge
Say these aloud and listen instead of reading them.
Hint 2: Narrowing it down
Each is an ordinary word whose pronunciation matches a place name spelled differently.
Hint 3: Nearly there
All four sound like nations: one is a tree, one names huge ocean mammals, and two describe how you might feel.