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#556

LinkedIn PinpointAnswer & Solution

LinkedIn Pinpoint 556 Answer

⭐ Today's Premium Puzzle
#556

LINKEDIN PINPOINT

November 7, 2025

1

Vacuum cleaner

2

Aquarium

3

Car engine

4

Drip coffee maker

5

Email software (targeting spam)

Hello there! If you’ve been playing the LinkedIn Pinpoint game lately, you know that some days the connections feel obvious, while other days they require a bit of mental gymnastics. Today’s puzzle was a classic example of how a single mechanical component can bridge the gap between household chores, high-performance machinery, and digital communication. Let’s dive deep into the breakdown of these clues and see how we arrived at the common thread: **Things with filters.**

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The Solve: A Tale of Wrong Turns

When the first clue, Vacuum cleaner, popped up, my mind immediately went to "Cleaning" or "Household Appliances." I thought maybe the category would be things you find in a utility closet or things that make a loud noise. It was a broad start, so I didn't commit to an answer just yet.

Then came the Aquarium. This threw me for a second. You don't usually store an aquarium in a utility closet, and it’s not exactly a "cleaning tool" in the traditional sense. However, I started thinking about what they have in common. Both need electricity. Both have pumps. I almost guessed "Things that use pumps," but I held back because a vacuum is more about suction than a standard water pump.

The third clue, Car engine, was the "Aha!" moment. I realized that a vacuum has a bag or a HEPA component to catch dust. An aquarium has a unit to clean the water. A car engine has several components—one for air, one for oil, and one for fuel—all designed to keep "gunk" out of the system. The word "filter" started flashing in my mind.

To be absolutely sure, I looked at the fourth clue: Drip coffee maker. This was the clincher. You literally cannot make drip coffee without a paper or mesh filter to hold the grounds. It fit the pattern perfectly. By the time the fifth clue, Email software (targeting spam), appeared, it was just a victory lap. This shifted the concept from a physical object to a digital one, confirming that the commonality wasn't just a mechanical part, but the functional concept of a "filter."

I typed in "Filters" or "Things with filters," and the puzzle was solved. It’s a great example of how Pinpoint moves from the physical world into the digital world to test your lateral thinking.

Lessons Learned

1

Look for the "Internal" Component: Sometimes the answer isn't what the object *is*, but what it *contains*. All these items are very different on the outside, but they all rely on a specific internal part to function correctly.

2

Bridge the Physical and Digital: Pinpoint loves to mix tangible items (like a coffee maker) with intangible ones (like software). If you have a list of physical objects, try to think of a word that also has a metaphorical or digital meaning.

3

Think About Maintenance: If you're stuck, ask yourself: "What part of this do I have to clean or replace?" You replace vacuum bags/filters, you change aquarium filters, you get oil filter changes for your car, and you swap coffee filters. That shared maintenance task is often a huge hint.

4

Don't Guess Too Early: If I had guessed "Cleaning" after the first two clues, I would have been wrong. Waiting for that third or fourth clue usually provides the "pivot" point that clarifies the specific category.

Expert Q&A

Q

Why is "Email software" included in a list with mechanical objects like car engines?

Pinpoint often uses "bridge clues" to increase difficulty. While the first four clues represent physical filtration (removing solids from liquids or air), the email clue represents digital filtration (removing unwanted data from a stream of information). It tests your ability to see a concept rather than just an object.

Q

Could the answer have been "Things that need electricity"?

While most of these use electricity, a car engine runs on combustion (though it has an electrical system), and some manual drip coffee makers or pour-overs don't require a plug. "Filters" is a much more specific and accurate commonality that fits every single clue perfectly.

Q

What is the significance of the "targeting spam" parenthetical for the email clue?

Without that note, email software could relate to "communication" or "internet." By specifying spam, the game forces you to think about the "Spam Filter," which is the specific mechanism that connects it to the other items in the list.

Q

Are there different types of filters represented here?

Yes! This puzzle covers air filters (vacuum), water filters (aquarium), fluid/oil filters (car engine), paper/solid filters (coffee maker), and algorithmic filters (email). It’s a very comprehensive look at the word's definition.

Q

Is this a common theme in Pinpoint?

Categories based on "Parts of a whole" or "Shared components" are very common. If you see a list of seemingly unrelated items, always check if they share a specific part, like a "screen," a "motor," or in this case, a "filter."