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Kinds of groups and how to spot them

Every puzzle has four levels, and each level tends to bring its own kind of group. Knowing the kinds tells you what to look for on the board. The examples here are not from the puzzle set, so read freely.

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Four coloured groups, each a different kind of link

Knowledge sets

The simplest kind: four things from one category — planets, instruments, capitals, chemical elements. Usually yellow or green. The difficulty is the decoy: a fifth word that fits the category but belongs to another group.

NOBLE GASES
NEON, ARGON, XENON, KRYPTON

A shared trait

Here the words are not from one category but share a property: things with teeth, things that fold, things that glow in the dark. Usually blue. Look at each word and ask: what does it have, what does it do?

THINGS WITH TEETH
SAW, COMB, ZIPPER, GEAR

Hidden words

Another word hides inside each item, an animal, say. In meaning the items have nothing in common, so they seem scattered among other groups. Read the leftovers letter by letter.

HIDDEN ANIMALS
SCATTER, BRATWURST, PIGMENT, COWARD

Here: s·CAT·ter, b·RAT·wurst, PIG·ment, COW·ard. By meaning these words would never form a group, which is why they are usually the last four left.

“___ + word”

The same word or ending can be added to each item to make a new word or phrase. The group name marks the gap with ___. On their own the items look unrelated, which is the giveaway.

___SHIP
FRIEND, LEADER, HARD, CHAMPION

FRIENDSHIP, LEADERSHIP, HARDSHIP, CHAMPIONSHIP: four ordinary words, while FRIEND, LEADER, HARD and CHAMPION alone share nothing.

Homonyms and sound-alikes

Words spelled alike with different meanings make the best traps: BAT is an animal and a piece of sports kit; SPRING is a season, a coil and a source of water. Such a word seems to fit one group with one meaning and another group with the other, and the precise group name decides which is right.

When you see a word with two meanings, check whether the board has a group for each meaning.

FAQ

Does every puzzle have wordplay?

Most do, usually in the trickiest level-4 group. Sometimes a subtle shared trait takes its place.

Where do I see the group names?

On the coloured bar, once a group is found or the game ends.

See also

Tips and strategyTips and strategyhow to find the groupsHow to play QuartetsHow to play Quartetsgroups, colours, mistakesDaily puzzleDaily puzzleone for everyone, streaks, archiveWord association game onlineWord association game onlinefree, no sign-up
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