Daily Group Grid Answer — August 21, 2026
Full answer to our original Daily Group Grid puzzle for August 21, 2026 (Puzzle #233). 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 | Citrus | LEMON, LIME, CITRON, YUZU |
| 🟢 Green | Bad car (slang) | CLUNKER, BEATER, JALOPY, HEAP |
| 🔵 Blue | Microsoft apps | WORD, TEAMS, EDGE, OUTLOOK |
| 🟣 Purple | Verbs: do very well | EXCEL, SHINE, THRIVE, STAR |
The purple trap: LEMON is citrus and a bad car; EXCEL is a Microsoft app and a verb. LEMON stays in citrus, EXCEL goes to the 'do well' verbs — the app group uses WORD/TEAMS/EDGE/OUTLOOK.
How the August 21, 2026 board comes apart
Start with Citrus (🟡 yellow). LEMON, LIME, CITRON and YUZU share the most literal link on the board — each one is a plain, dictionary-level example of “Citrus”. Bank the safest group first: clearing four tiles early leaves every later decoy fewer places to hide.
Green is Bad car (slang) (🟢). CLUNKER and BEATER usually surface first; the test is whether JALOPY and HEAP belong to “Bad car (slang)” 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, Microsoft apps, tends to need a second pass. WORD, TEAMS, EDGE and OUTLOOK 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 “Microsoft apps”.
Purple is Verbs: do very well: EXCEL, SHINE, THRIVE and STAR. Do not hunt for it directly — the “Verbs: do very well” 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: LEMON is citrus and a bad car; EXCEL is a Microsoft app and a verb. LEMON stays in citrus, EXCEL goes to the 'do well' verbs — the app group uses WORD/TEAMS/EDGE/OUTLOOK. 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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