Jump to a hint level
Show the word gridAll 16 words — you figure out the groups
Show the themesCategory names only, no words revealed
One word per groupTheme name + one word per category
Full solutionAll words and explanations
← Back to hint toolLoad any date with the interactive hint ladder
Word grid
All 16 words, sorted alphabetically. Group them into four categories of four.
BALL
BED
BEE
FAIR
FOUL
IN
MA
MARY
MOTHER
MUM
OH
OK
OUT
PRIVATE
QUIET
SECRET
Themes
The four category names, easiest to hardest. No words revealed yet.
HUSH-HUSHStraightforward
STATE ABBREVIATIONSModerate
BASEBALL CALLSTricky
QUEEN ___Devious
One word per group
Theme name plus one word from each category.
HUSH-HUSHStraightforward
WORDS MEANING KEPT UNDER WRAPS OR NOT SPOKEN+ 3 more…
STATE ABBREVIATIONSModerate
TWO-LETTER CODES YOU'D FIND ON A US MAILING ADDRESS+ 3 more…
BASEBALL CALLSTricky
WHAT AN UMPIRE MIGHT SHOUT DURING A GAME+ 3 more…
QUEEN ___Devious
WORDS THAT FOLLOW 'QUEEN' TO MAKE A FAMILIAR PHRASE+ 3 more…
Full solution
HUSH-HUSHStraightforward
MUM,PRIVATE,QUIET,SECRET
MUM, PRIVATE, QUIET, and SECRET all mean hush-hush — confidential or not to be spoken of.
STATE ABBREVIATIONSModerate
IN,MA,OH,OK
IN (Indiana), MA (Massachusetts), OH (Ohio), and OK (Oklahoma) are all official USPS state abbreviations.
BASEBALL CALLSTricky
BALL,FAIR,FOUL,OUT
BALL, FAIR, FOUL, and OUT are all calls an umpire makes during a baseball game.
QUEEN ___Devious
BED,BEE,MARY,MOTHER
BED, BEE, MARY, and MOTHER all follow QUEEN to form common compound words or phrases: Queen Bed, Queen Bee, Queen Mary, Queen Mother.