Layers Game #16

Sep 30 Hints

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

Quick hint

Water, watching, Wall Street and taking cover.

Layer 1 hints

Mini puzzle 1 · Clue Stack

First clue: “There are five of them, officially.”

Hint 1 · General direction

It's very big and very wet.

Hint 2 · More specific

Whales live there.

Hint 3 · Reveal letters

O _ _ A N

Mini puzzle 2 · Missing Link

LAUGHING___ · ___PILE · LIVE___

Hint 1 · General direction

Soup often starts with it.

Hint 2 · More specific

Investors buy it in shares.

Hint 3 · Reveal letters

S _ _ C K

Mini puzzle 3 · Word Shift

Start at MIND and shift 3 times. First clue: “Locate”

Hint 1 · General direction

You'll end somewhere wet.

Hint 2 · More specific

It's smaller than a lake.

Hint 3 · Reveal letters

?IND → F?ND → ?OND

Mini puzzle 4 · Letter Path

Clue: “Watch carefully — or honour a holiday”

Hint 1 · General direction

Scientists do it.

Hint 2 · More specific

It starts with OB.

Hint 3 · Reveal letters

O _ _ E _ _ E — starts at the highlighted O (row 1, column 2)

Layer 2 hints

Most straightforward group

What the group is about

One group is wet.

Two words that belong together

SEA and OCEAN

Medium group

What the group is about

One group is what your eyes do.

Two words that belong together

WATCH and VIEW

Tricky group

What the group is about

One group belongs on a trading floor.

Two words that belong together

BULL and BEAR

Trickiest group

What the group is about

One group comes before a word for protection.

Two words that belong together

UNDER and HARD

Final layer hints

Today's final layer is a Common Link.

Final hint 1

It's a loyal animal.

Final hint 2

The team nobody expects to win is the UNDER___.

Final hint 3

The answer looks like: D _ G

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