LinkedIn Pinpoint #865 Hints & Answer: Rain & Tear
LinkedIn Pinpoint #865 for Saturday, September 12, 2026 starts with “Rain” and “Tear”. Explore the clues below, then reveal the category and how each clue connects.
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Original game: LinkedIn Pinpoint. Our explanations are independently written; this site is not affiliated with LinkedIn or Microsoft.
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Reveal answer & analysis
Answer: Words that come before “drop”. Each clue points to a common phrase where the given word sits immediately in front of “drop,” creating familiar compounds or set expressions. Taken together, the five entries outline a clean category: different contexts—weather, emotion, reputation, performance, and an idiom—all share the same second word. Once “Rain” and “Tear” click as “raindrop” and “teardrop,” the rest align quickly.
5 Clues
- Clue 1Rain
- Clue 2Tear
- Clue 3Name
- Clue 4Mic
- Clue 5Drag and
Why this answer fits
A plausible wrong turn is to treat the set as “things that fall” or “types of drops” in a general sense, which could invite answers like “Kinds of drops” or “Things you can drop.” Clue 3 (“Name”) is what narrows it: “name drop” is a verb phrase, not a physical item, and it specifically demands the exact adjacency of the two words. The same is true for clue 5 (“Drag and”), which strongly signals the fixed phrase “drag and drop,” emphasizing “drop” as a shared trailing word rather than a theme of falling objects.
Quick wink: When the mic drops, the wordplay drops too—right into a neat stack of “___ drop” phrases.
How to find the connection
- Start with clues 1–2: “Rain” and “Tear” naturally form “raindrop” and “teardrop,” suggesting the mechanism is a word placed directly before “drop.”
- Use clue 3 “Name” to confirm it is not about physical droplets: “name drop” is a familiar phrase, reinforcing “drop” as the fixed second word.
- Finish with clues 4–5: “Mic” leads to “mic drop,” and “Drag and” completes “drag and drop,” locking the category as words that precede “drop.”
Clue-by-clue explanation
| Clue | Connection evidence |
|---|---|
| Rain | Clue “Rain” fits because “raindrop” is a common compound noun, making “rain” a word that comes directly before “drop.” |
| Tear | Clue “Tear” fits because “teardrop” is a standard term for a drop of tears, again placing “tear” immediately before “drop.” |
| Name | Clue “Name” fits via the phrase “name drop,” an idiomatic verb phrase, showing the pattern is “___ drop” rather than a list of liquids. |
| Mic | Clue “Mic” fits because “mic drop” is a set expression for a dramatic finish, using “mic” as the word that precedes “drop.” |
| Drag and | Clue “Drag and” fits because the fixed computing phrase is “drag and drop,” making “drag and” the exact words that come before “drop.” |
Questions about Pinpoint #865
Which clues start this puzzle?
The first two clues are “Rain” and “Tear”. The complete five-clue list is above.
Where is the category answer?
Open “Reveal answer & analysis” above to see the category and a separate explanation for each clue.
Looking for today's puzzle?
This edition is dated Saturday, September 12, 2026. Visit today's Pinpoint answer for the latest edition, or browse the archive.
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