LinkedIn Pinpoint #871 Hints & Answer: Sandy Desert & Salt Lake
LinkedIn Pinpoint #871 for Friday, September 18, 2026 starts with “Sandy Desert” and “Salt Lake”. Explore the clues below, then reveal the category and how each clue connects.
Automated explanation · not human reviewed ·
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: Geographic place names when preceded by “Great”. Each clue is a well-known geographic feature that becomes its familiar proper name by adding the same leading word. “Sandy Desert” points to Great Sandy Desert, “Salt Lake” to Great Salt Lake, “Rift Valley” to Great Rift Valley, “Barrier Reef” to Great Barrier Reef, and the final clue confirms the pattern with Great Britain (England+Scotland+Wales).
5 Clues
- Clue 1Sandy Desert
- Clue 2Salt Lake
- Clue 3Rift Valley
- Clue 4Barrier Reef
- Clue 5Britain: England+Scotland+Wales
Why this answer fits
A tempting alternative is “famous geographic landmarks” or even “things that can be described as big,” since deserts, lakes, valleys, reefs, and Britain all have scale associations. But clue 5 is a clincher: “Britain: England+Scotland+Wales” specifically evokes the fixed proper noun “Great Britain,” not a generic size description. Once that is seen, the earlier clues stop being loose categories and instead read as incomplete place names awaiting the same prefix.
Quick wink: Add one four-letter compliment, and the map suddenly fills in the missing first words.
How to find the connection
- Start by treating “Sandy Desert” and “Salt Lake” as truncated proper names rather than generic features; search for a shared missing opener that makes each a standard geographic term.
- Test the emerging prefix against clue 3, “Rift Valley,” and keep only the option that yields a widely recognized named region without changing the clue’s core wording.
- Confirm with clues 4 and 5: “Barrier Reef” should lock into a famous full name, and “Britain: England+Scotland+Wales” should match the same prefix as a conventional political-geographic label.
Clue-by-clue explanation
| Clue | Connection evidence |
|---|---|
| Sandy Desert | Clue 1, “Sandy Desert,” matches the proper name Great Sandy Desert when preceded by the word “Great,” fitting the theme of prefixed place names. |
| Salt Lake | Clue 2, “Salt Lake,” becomes Great Salt Lake with the same “Great” prefix, showing the pattern applies across different types of landforms. |
| Rift Valley | Clue 3, “Rift Valley,” aligns with Great Rift Valley once “Great” is added, reinforcing that the missing word is a consistent name-forming prefix. |
| Barrier Reef | Clue 4, “Barrier Reef,” resolves cleanly to Great Barrier Reef by inserting “Great,” a globally known geographic feature that follows the same structure. |
| Britain: England+Scotland+Wales | Clue 5, “Britain: England+Scotland+Wales,” indicates Great Britain, confirming the intended shared prefix and anchoring the set as place names rather than mere descriptions. |
Questions about Pinpoint #871
Which clues start this puzzle?
The first two clues are “Sandy Desert” and “Salt Lake”. 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 Friday, September 18, 2026. Visit today's Pinpoint answer for the latest edition, or browse the archive.
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