Pinpoint rules
Pinpoint is a logic and trivia puzzle where five clues point to a single category. The rules read in a minute and apply to every puzzle, in progression mode as well as the daily challenge.
Pinpoint in 60 seconds
A Pinpoint puzzle hides a single category behind five clues. The first one appears alone, deliberately obscure. You answer whenever you want: if correct, you score points based on how many clues you have already read. If wrong, the next clue reveals and you try again, a little easier but for fewer points. The score starts at 500 and drops to 100 on the fifth and final clue. Guessing wrong once all five are already visible scores zero, and the round moves on to the next puzzle.
The reveal mechanic
Every puzzle starts with a single clue visible, the other four locked. Two ways to move the game forward: submit an answer, or press the "Next clue" button to read one more without guessing. Both have the same effect on the display: one more clue appears.
The difference lies in the score. A wrong guess always lowers the potential scale by one notch, even for Premium players. The "Next clue" button costs that same notch for a regular player, but stays completely free for a Premium subscriber: they can read more clues without ever lowering their potential score, as long as they do not answer incorrectly. This nuance is what makes the subscription useful on the hardest puzzles.
Failure only happens once: when all five clues are already visible and the answer is still wrong. That puzzle then scores zero, the correct answer is shown, and the round moves straight on to the next puzzle without ever stopping.
The scale, clue by clue
The score of a solved puzzle depends only on how many clues were read before the correct answer, never on the time spent thinking.
| Clues read before the answer | Points scored |
|---|---|
| 1 clue | 500 pts |
| 2 clues | 400 pts |
| 3 clues | 300 pts |
| 4 clues | 200 pts |
| 5 clues | 100 pts |
A full round holds five puzzles: the theoretical maximum score is therefore 2500 points, five times 500, reserved for whoever finds every category on the very first clue.
A concrete example
Take a real puzzle from our bank, rated easy, to see the mechanic in action.
Turnip: on its own, this word could point to many categories, from a vegetable patch to colors. Answering correctly here is worth 500 points.
Parsnip: a rarer vegetable, which starts narrowing the field toward root vegetables. The answer would now be worth 400 points.
Beetroot: distinctive color and shape, the trail narrows sharply. Miss it here and it would be 300 points.
Swede: a very common root vegetable, the category becomes hard to miss. Only 200 points would remain.
Carrot: the best known root vegetable of all. The answer "Root vegetables" becomes obvious at this point, but it is only worth 100 points.
This puzzle is rated easy because the five clues converge quickly. On a harder puzzle, the first two or three clues can seem to have no relation to each other before the category reveals itself: that is exactly what makes Pinpoint interesting at a higher level.
Frequently asked questions
How many points does a Pinpoint puzzle score?
Between 500 and 100 points, depending on how many clues you needed: 500 on the first clue, 400 on the second, 300 on the third, 200 on the fourth, 100 on the fifth. A round of five puzzles is worth 2500 points at most.
What happens if I answer wrong several times?
Each wrong guess simply reveals the next clue, so you always get another attempt. The only way to score zero on a puzzle is to still be wrong after all five clues are already visible; the round then moves on to the next puzzle.
Can I reveal a clue without trying to answer first?
Yes. A "Next clue" button lets you reveal a clue voluntarily, without guessing, if you would rather read more before committing. It costs the same drop in potential score as a wrong guess, except for Premium players, for whom voluntary reveals are free.
Do small typos count as a wrong answer?
No. Pinpoint checks your answer with a tolerance for minor spelling mistakes, missing accents or small variations, so a near-perfect answer still counts as correct. Only a genuinely different word is treated as wrong.