Layers Game #8

Sep 22 Hints

Reveal only what you need. Nothing on this page shows an answer until you open it.

Quick hint

The trees are dropping things today.

Layer 1 hints

Mini puzzle 1 · Clue Stack

First clue: “Its shell looks a bit like a brain.”

Hint 1 · General direction

It's a nut.

Hint 2 · More specific

Its wood is dark and expensive.

Hint 3 · Reveal letters

W _ _ N _ T

Mini puzzle 2 · Missing Link

___-CHILLING · ___-TINGLING · ___LESS

Hint 1 · General direction

It's part of your back.

Hint 2 · More specific

Cowards are said to lack one.

Hint 3 · Reveal letters

S _ _ N E

Mini puzzle 3 · Word Shift

Start at GOAT and shift 2 times. First clue: “What a striker aims for”

Hint 1 · General direction

You'll end on a baby animal.

Hint 2 · More specific

It grows up to be a horse.

Hint 3 · Reveal letters

GOA? → ?OAL

Mini puzzle 4 · Letter Path

Clue: “A nut in a classic Southern pie”

Hint 1 · General direction

It's a nut.

Hint 2 · More specific

Americans argue about how to pronounce it.

Hint 3 · Reveal letters

P _ _ A N — starts at the highlighted P (row 2, column 3)

Layer 2 hints

Most straightforward group

What the group is about

One group grows on trees and has shells.

Two words that belong together

ACORN and PECAN

Medium group

What the group is about

One group is in the forecast.

Two words that belong together

FROST and HAIL

Tricky group

What the group is about

One group is found on a farm in spring.

Two words that belong together

LAMB and FOAL

Trickiest group

What the group is about

One group lives on a library shelf.

Two words that belong together

LEAF and SPINE

Final layer hints

Today's final layer is a First Letters.

Final hint 1

Use only the first letter of each key.

Final hint 2

Today is close to the September equinox.

Final hint 3

The answer looks like: F _ _ L

Still stuck?

How to play

Every puzzle has three layers. Peel them one at a time.

  1. Layer 1 — Mini Puzzles. Solve four quick puzzles: a Clue Stack, a Missing Link, a Word Shift and a Letter Path.
  2. Layer 2 — Connections. Sort 16 words into four groups of four. Your Layer 1 answers are on the board, marked ●. Five mistakes and the groups are revealed.
  3. Final Layer. Each group gives you a key word. Use all four keys to crack one last question. You get three tries.

Stuck? Every layer has hints. A new puzzle unlocks at midnight in your time zone.

Read the full guide