LinkedIn PinpointAnswer & Solution
LinkedIn Pinpoint 566 Answer
LINKEDIN PINPOINT
November 17, 2025
Moon
Flu
Espresso
Jump
Not by a long
Hey there! It is time to dive into today’s LinkedIn Pinpoint puzzle. If you played today, you know it was one of those rounds where the connection seems hidden in plain sight until that "lightbulb" moment finally hits. As an analyst who looks at these puzzles every day, I love how this specific set of clues transitions from space to medicine to your morning caffeine fix. Let’s break down exactly how this puzzle worked and how you could have cracked it.
The Solve: A Tale of Wrong Turns
When I first saw the word Moon, my mind went straight to the obvious stuff: space, NASA, tides, or maybe even "phases." It’s a very broad starting point, so I didn't want to commit to an answer just yet. I thought maybe the category was "Things in the Sky," but that felt a bit too simple for Pinpoint.
Then came Flu. This was the pivot point. I immediately thought of "Flu shot." I went back to the first clue and realized "Moonshot" is a very common term for an ambitious, ground-breaking project. Suddenly, the connection wasn't about the objects themselves, but a word that follows them. I had a strong hunch the word was "shot," but I wanted to see the third clue to be 100% certain.
The third clue, Espresso, sealed the deal. You don't just "drink" an espresso in coffee culture; you have a "shot" of espresso. At this point, I was looking for a pattern of compound words or common phrases. Moon-shot, Flu-shot, Espresso-shot. It was all lining up perfectly.
When Jump appeared, it just confirmed the theory. In basketball, a "jump shot" is one of the most fundamental moves. By the time I hit the final clue, Not by a long, I didn't even have to think twice. "Not by a long shot" is a classic idiom. The logic held up across every single clue, moving from nouns to verbs to idioms, all anchored by that one single word: Shot.
Lessons Learned
* Look for Compound Words Early: When you see a single noun like "Moon" or "Flu," immediately try to add a prefix or suffix to it. Often, the connection in Pinpoint is a shared word that creates a new meaning.
* Don't Ignore Idioms: The clue "Not by a long" is a great reminder that Pinpoint loves to use common phrases. If a clue feels like a fragment of a sentence, try to complete the phrase to find the missing link.
* Categories Can Be Versatile: Notice how the clues jumped from science (Moon) to health (Flu) to sports (Jump). If your initial guess only fits two clues, broaden your perspective to find a word that bridges different industries or activities.
* The "Aha" Moment usually comes at Clue 2 or 3: If you can't find a link between Clue 1 and Clue 2, wait for Clue 3. Usually, the third clue is designed to narrow the possibilities significantly, just like "Espresso" did today.
Expert Q&A
Why was "Not by a long" included as a clue instead of just the word "Long"?
The designers likely used the full fragment to ensure the player directed their mind toward the specific idiom "Not by a long shot." If they had just used "Long," players might have thought of "Long jump" or "Long moon," which would have been confusing and less precise.
Is "Moonshot" a common enough word for this game?
Absolutely. While it originated from the Apollo 11 mission, it is now a very popular "buzzword" in the tech and business world to describe an experimental or high-risk project. Pinpoint often uses words that have both a literal and a metaphorical meaning.
Could the answer have been "Types of injections"?
Not quite. While a "Flu shot" is an injection, an "Espresso shot" and a "Jump shot" are definitely not. The goal in Pinpoint is to find a word that fits the linguistic structure of every clue, not just a thematic category for a couple of them.
What makes this specific puzzle difficulty "medium"?
This puzzle is considered medium because the clues are diverse. You have to jump from space to medicine to sports. A "simple" puzzle might have clues that are all related to the same topic, whereas this one requires a bit more lateral thinking to connect the dots.
How does "Jump shot" fit if the others are mostly nouns?
Pinpoint doesn't require all clues to be the same part of speech. "Jump" acts as a verb/modifier here, just as "Flu" acts as a modifier for "shot." The game focuses on the "string" of the words rather than their grammatical roles.