Daily Group Grid Answer — August 16, 2026
Full answer to our original Daily Group Grid puzzle for August 16, 2026 (Puzzle #228). 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 | Snakes | COBRA, VIPER, ADDER, PYTHON |
| 🟢 Green | Sports cars | STINGRAY, SPIDER, TESTAROSSA, GHIBLI |
| 🔵 Blue | Black ___ (Kobe etc.) | MAMBA, WIDOW, BELT, SMITH |
| 🟣 Purple | Math terms | SUM, PRODUCT, MEAN, FACTOR |
The purple trap: VIPER and COBRA are snakes and cars; MAMBA is a snake and 'Black Mamba'; ADDER is a snake and an adding device. The snake group keeps the four reptiles; decoys live elsewhere.
How the August 16, 2026 board comes apart
The opening move is Snakes (🟡 yellow). Read COBRA, VIPER, ADDER and PYTHON side by side and the category “Snakes” announces itself. Lock it in before touching anything ambiguous — a solved yellow row shrinks the search space for the three harder groups.
Next comes Sports cars (🟢 green). The connection between STINGRAY, SPIDER, TESTAROSSA and GHIBLI is still concrete, but you have to name it yourself rather than just spot it. Before committing, confirm all four genuinely fit “Sports cars” — not only the two that jumped out first.
Blue hides Black ___ (Kobe etc.) (🔵). None of MAMBA, WIDOW, BELT or SMITH looks special alone; the giveaway is the pattern they form together. Say the candidate label “Black ___ (Kobe etc.)” out loud and check each word against it before you submit.
That leaves Math terms (🟣 purple): SUM, PRODUCT, MEAN and FACTOR. 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: VIPER and COBRA are snakes and cars; MAMBA is a snake and 'Black Mamba'; ADDER is a snake and an adding device. The snake group keeps the four reptiles; decoys live elsewhere. 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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