FOURSURE
September 25, 2026 Puzzle Breakdown
Four groups, four words each — here's the connections between today's words.
How everyone did today
Green things
Shrek, Broccoli, Grass, Granny Smith
We start you off gently today with four things that all famously share the exact same hue. Whether plucked from the lawn, picked from an orchard, steamed on a dinner plate, or yelling at you to get out of his swamp, every item here is undeniably green.
Working animals
Donkey, Horse, Mule, Camel
These four four-legged creatures have all spent centuries doing humanity's heavy lifting. Whether pulling plows, carrying packs across deserts, or hauling carts, donkey, horse, mule, and camel are classic beasts of burden. It is a straightforward group for the second slot today, provided you were not distracted by their more leisurely modern roles.
Face
Puss, Mug, Countenance, Visage
Whether you are leaning into highbrow literature or vintage mobster slang, all four of these words are synonyms for a human face. Visage and countenance handle the poetic, stately end of the spectrum, while mug and puss drag things right back down to the gutter. It is a classic vocabulary trap designed to see if you could look past the feline and coffee-related distractions.
___ Apple
Fiona, bad, crab, adams
The hardest puzzle of the day leans on a classic fill-in-the-blank format, pairing everyday phrases with music and anatomy. Each word here can precede apple, whether you are talking about a sour wild fruit, a proverbially spoiled bunch, a 90s singer-songwriter, or that lump in your throat. Hopefully spotting the musical Fiona tipped off the rest before things went bad.
Why these four groups
The real joy of this board lies in the irresistible Shrek character trap, where Shrek, Donkey, Fiona, and Puss tempt players into a catastrophic first guess. The difficulty curve holds firm because unambiguous anchors like Broccoli and Grass quickly rescue the green category, safely claiming Granny Smith along the way. That forces the subtler connections into focus: formal face descriptors like Countenance and Visage strip away Puss, finally allowing Fiona, bad, crab, and adams to click into place as the elusive apple compound group that keeps the fourth tier genuinely challenging.