Daily Group Grid Answer — June 17, 2026
Full answer to our original Daily Group Grid puzzle for June 17, 2026 (Puzzle #168). Want the latest day instead? Head to today's answer, or just need a nudge — try the progressive hints. Tap a blacked-out box to reveal it.
Hints (no spoilers)
- Yellow: the easiest, most literal group.
- Green: a small twist on the obvious.
- Blue: trickier — think category, not surface meaning.
- Purple: the curveball; expect wordplay or a hidden pattern.
The Answers
| Group | Theme | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 🟡 Yellow | Trees | OAK, BIRCH, PINE, ELM |
| 🟢 Green | Verbs of longing | YEARN, CRAVE, ACHE, COVET |
| 🔵 Blue | Syrups / sweeteners | MAPLE, CORN, AGAVE, HONEY |
| 🟣 Purple | Old Norse / Viking | RUNE, FJORD, SAGA, THANE |
The purple trap: PINE could be a verb of longing and MAPLE a tree, but PINE is the tree and MAPLE is the syrup. The trees group needs the four clean ones (OAK, BIRCH, PINE, ELM).
How the June 17, 2026 board comes apart
The opening move is Trees (🟡 yellow). Read OAK, BIRCH, PINE and ELM side by side and the category “Trees” announces itself. Lock it in before touching anything ambiguous — a solved yellow row shrinks the search space for the three harder groups.
Next comes Verbs of longing (🟢 green). The connection between YEARN, CRAVE, ACHE and COVET is still concrete, but you have to name it yourself rather than just spot it. Before committing, confirm all four genuinely fit “Verbs of longing” — not only the two that jumped out first.
Blue hides Syrups / sweeteners (🔵). None of MAPLE, CORN, AGAVE or HONEY looks special alone; the giveaway is the pattern they form together. Say the candidate label “Syrups / sweeteners” out loud and check each word against it before you submit.
That leaves Old Norse / Viking (🟣 purple): RUNE, FJORD, SAGA and THANE. As usual the final group leans on wordplay or a hidden pattern, so it is safest solved by elimination — clear the other twelve tiles and take what remains.
Why the purple group misleads: PINE could be a verb of longing and MAPLE a tree, but PINE is the tree and MAPLE is the syrup. The trees group needs the four clean ones (OAK, BIRCH, PINE, ELM). Whenever a word seems to fit two groups, park it and finish the group that has four unambiguous members — the leftover placement resolves itself.
Want to play instead?
Play today's Daily Group Grid, see today's hints, or browse the full answer archive. New to grouping puzzles? Our word-grouping tips and puzzle glossary cover the recurring category types.
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