Thursday, 22 October 2026: the answers
The four Fourplay puzzles of Thursday, 22 October 2026, with their answers. Today's puzzles are on the front page.
Level 1 · easy
- POPCORN
- KERNEL + CINEMA
- PENGUIN
- TUXEDO + ANTARCTICA
- PASTA
- COLANDER + RAVIOLI
- SCIENTIST
- BEAKER + EINSTEIN
The card that did not belong: SHOELACE, IGLOO, WINDSOCK, FORMULA. A gentle start: the links are the ones that come to mind first.
Level 2 · medium
- EXCALIBUR
- STONE + LAKE
- SOUVENIR
- TRINKET + KEYRING
- HAMSTER
- CHEEKS + SAWDUST
- CROSSWORD
- ACROSS + GRID
The card that did not belong: RADISH, GIFTSHOP, HOSPITAL, PUZZLE. One step less obvious, so the decoy had room to tempt.
Level 3 · tricky
- CABLE
- GONDOLA + BROADBAND
- PULSE
- LENTILS + PARAMEDIC
- TERM
- SEMESTER + PRESIDENT
- DRIVE
- TEE + AMBITION
The card that did not belong: CORD, OYSTER, DEFINITION, FERRET. Built on a word with two meanings, which is what joins two words that have nothing to do with each other.
Level 4 · hard
- AURORA
- ICELAND + PRINCESS
- BEE
- SPELLING + POLLEN
- DELTA
- MISSISSIPPI + ALPHA
- HAND
- CLOCK + POKER
The card that did not belong: TRAMPOLINE, HONEYCOMB, SAUCEPAN, GLOVE. A lateral one: the link takes a moment and is airtight once you see it.