Past puzzleDecember 16, 20237 / 2

Jumble hints: December 16, 2023

Revisit the Jumble puzzle from December 16, 2023 (2023-12-16) with the four scrambled clue words, the full reveal layers, and the final phrase in one place.

2023-12-16

Step through today's Jumble help

Start with the clue lengths and circled-letter counts, move into first-letter nudges, then reveal the clue answers and final phrase only when you decide to.

4 clue words9 bonus lettersFinal: 7 / 2

Today's Jumble has 4 clue words feeding a final answer pattern of Final: 7 / 2. The clue answers and final phrase stay collapsed until you open the layers below.

Stuck on one clue word instead of the whole puzzle? Open the clue-word helper and load one slot directly from this date.

Clue 15 letters

SUDOE

Circled letters: 2

Reveal answer

DOUSE

Clue 25 letters

NUREP

Circled letters: 2

Reveal answer

PRUNE

Clue 36 letters

FMHOAT

Circled letters: 2

Reveal answer

FATHOM

Clue 46 letters

NAGGEE

Circled letters: 3

Reveal answer

ENGAGE

Layer 1

Solve shape

Open this layer only when you want the next push.

Clue 1

The answer is 5 letters long and contributes 2 circled letters to the bonus phrase.

Clue 2

The answer is 5 letters long and contributes 2 circled letters to the bonus phrase.

Clue 3

The answer is 6 letters long and contributes 2 circled letters to the bonus phrase.

Clue 4

The answer is 6 letters long and contributes 3 circled letters to the bonus phrase.

Layer 2

Letter nudges

Open this layer only when you want the next push.

Clue 1

Starts with D, ends with E, and has circled positions 1, 2.

Clue 2

Starts with P, ends with E, and has circled positions 2, 3.

Clue 3

Starts with F, ends with M, and has circled positions 1, 4.

Clue 4

Starts with E, ends with E, and has circled positions 2, 4, 6.

Layer 3

Clue-word answers

Open this layer only when you want the next push.

Clue 15 letters

SUDOE

Circled letters: 2

Reveal answer

DOUSE

Clue 25 letters

NUREP

Circled letters: 2

Reveal answer

PRUNE

Clue 36 letters

FMHOAT

Circled letters: 2

Reveal answer

FATHOM

Clue 46 letters

NAGGEE

Circled letters: 3

Reveal answer

ENGAGE

Solve clue 1 in the helper

Load SUDOE with the official answer length already set.

Solve clue 2 in the helper

Load NUREP with the official answer length already set.

Solve clue 3 in the helper

Load FMHOAT with the official answer length already set.

Solve clue 4 in the helper

Load NAGGEE with the official answer length already set.

Layer 4

Bonus clue and final answer

Open this layer only when you want the next push.

Bonus clue

Before in-ear digital hearing aids were invented, they were —

DORUFHNAE7 / 2

Official final answer: UNHEARD OF.

Want focused clue-word help? Open the clue-word helper with this date loaded. Need another stored puzzle? Browse the Jumble archive.

Broader word-help tools

Use these when this stored Jumble clue is easier to crack through broader rack solving, rhyme checks, or semantic letter-pattern lists.

Anagram solverUse the broader rack solver when you have one scrambled clue and want more than the dedicated Jumble helper offers.Rhyme finderHelpful when a pun, caption, or clue idea feels sound-based and you want pronunciation-led rhyme checks instead of spelling guesses.Double-letter wordsUseful when repeated letters look likely and you want a faster browse than the full alphabetical lists.All-unique-letter wordsGood when you want repeat-free options quickly and the clue shape suggests every letter may only appear once.Word Lists hubOpen the broader word-reference hub when the next step is length or pattern browsing instead of staying inside Jumble.