Daily Group Grid Answer — August 17, 2026
Full answer to our original Daily Group Grid puzzle for August 17, 2026 (Puzzle #229). 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 | Gemstones | RUBY, PEARL, OPAL, TOPAZ |
| 🟢 Green | Programming languages | PERL, GO, RUST, KOTLIN |
| 🔵 Blue | Steven Universe gems | GARNET, AMETHYST, PERIDOT, JASPER |
| 🟣 Purple | Words meaning fast | SWIFT, RAPID, FLEET, BRISK |
The purple trap: RUBY is a gem and a language; PEARL/PERL are homophones; SWIFT is a language and means fast. RUBY stays in gems, PERL in languages, SWIFT in the 'fast' group.
How the August 17, 2026 board comes apart
Start with Gemstones (🟡 yellow). RUBY, PEARL, OPAL and TOPAZ share the most literal link on the board — each one is a plain, dictionary-level example of “Gemstones”. Bank the safest group first: clearing four tiles early leaves every later decoy fewer places to hide.
Green is Programming languages (🟢). PERL and GO usually surface first; the test is whether RUST and KOTLIN belong to “Programming languages” just as cleanly. If one of the four feels forced, that word probably serves another group and you are one tile off.
The blue group, Steven Universe gems, tends to need a second pass. GARNET, AMETHYST, PERIDOT and JASPER only click once you stop reading each word at surface level and ask what single category could hold all four at once — here, that shared frame is “Steven Universe gems”.
Purple is Words meaning fast: SWIFT, RAPID, FLEET and BRISK. Do not hunt for it directly — the “Words meaning fast” link is built to stay invisible until the easier groups are gone. Solve around it and let the last four tiles confirm themselves.
Why the purple group misleads: RUBY is a gem and a language; PEARL/PERL are homophones; SWIFT is a language and means fast. RUBY stays in gems, PERL in languages, SWIFT in the 'fast' group. 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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