LinkedIn Pinpoint Answer for January 22, 2026
LINKEDIN PINPOINT CLUES
January 22, 2026
Fast
Loved
Formula
Back to square
Hole in
Clue Meanings Explained
Fast
This refers to something moving at high speed, happening quickly, or a deceptive trick (as in "pulling a fast one").
Loved
This describes a person for whom one has deep affection, typically a family member, partner, or close friend.
Formula
This represents a fixed method for doing something, or more specifically, the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater cars.
Back to square
This is a figurative expression meaning to return to the very beginning of a task or process after a failure.
Hole in
This is a specific achievement in golf where the ball goes directly from the tee into the cup with a single stroke.
Hey there! It’s great to dive into another daily LinkedIn Pinpoint puzzle with you. As an analyst who spends way too much time looking at word patterns, I found today’s set of clues to be a masterclass in how this game challenges our ability to bridge different contexts—from sports to relationships to common idioms. Today’s puzzle required us to find the common thread linking five very different phrases. Let’s break down the clues and see how the logic unfolded.
The Solve: A Tale of Wrong Turns
When I first saw the clue Fast, my brain immediately went to "Speed" or "Racing." I thought maybe the category was going to be about cars or quickness. It’s a very broad starting point, and honestly, you could guess a dozen different things here. I briefly considered "Fast Track" or "Fast Food," but without a second clue, those were just shots in the dark.
Then the second clue, Loved, popped up. This actually threw me for a second. "Fast" and "Loved" don't seem to have much in common at first glance. I started thinking about emotions or maybe adjectives. But then I tried to see if a single word could follow both. "Fast one" (like a trick) and "Loved one." That started to feel like a real lead.
Once Formula appeared as the third clue, the lightbulb really started flickering. "Formula One" is one of the most recognizable brands in the world. When you pair that with "Loved one" and "Fast one," the pattern becomes undeniable. I was about 90% sure at this point that the answer involved the word "one."
To be safe, I waited for Back to square. This is such a specific idiom fragment. You almost can't say "Back to square" without your brain reflexively adding "one." It’s one of those linguistic anchors that solidifies the theme.
By the time Hole in showed up, it was just a victory lap. A "Hole in one" is the most iconic "one" phrase in sports. The connection was seamless across all five clues: they are all terms that precede the word "one." It’s a classic Pinpoint puzzle that moves from the vague to the highly specific.
Lessons Learned From Today's Pinpoint Solution
Look for the "Suffix" Connection: Often in Pinpoint, the clues aren't related to each other by meaning, but by a common word that follows or precedes them. If the clues seem to come from completely different worlds (like racing and golf), look for a shared linguistic tail.
Don't Overthink the First Clue: The first clue is designed to be ambiguous. Don't get frustrated if you can't solve it instantly; its job is to provide a broad "anchor" that only makes sense once you see the second or third clue.
Idioms are Goldmines: Clues like "Back to square" are almost always part of a famous idiom. When you see a phrase that feels "incomplete," mentally cycle through common sayings to find the missing piece.
Contextual Variety is a Hint: When the clues jump from sports (Formula) to emotions (Loved) to idioms (Fast), the answer is almost certainly a common word or grammatical structure rather than a specific topic like "Cars" or "Feelings."
Expert Q&A
Why does LinkedIn Pinpoint use fragments like "Back to square" instead of the whole phrase?
The game is designed to test your "cloze" reasoning—the ability to fill in missing information. By giving you the fragment, it forces your brain to retrieve the full idiom, which makes the discovery of the common link ("one") much more satisfying.
Could "Fast" have referred to "Fast track" instead of "Fast one"?
In isolation, yes. However, the goal of Pinpoint is to find the single word that fits *all* clues. While "Fast track" works, "Loved track" or "Formula track" does not. The logic must hold up across the entire set.
Is "Formula One" the only way that clue works?
Primarily, yes. While you could argue for "Formula" as a general concept, in the context of this specific puzzle, "Formula One" is the specific linguistic link that connects it to "Hole in one" and "Loved one."
How do I get better at recognizing these patterns quickly?
Practice identifying common compound words and phrasal verbs. Many Pinpoint puzzles rely on "bridge words"—words that can be tacked onto the end or beginning of several different terms to create new meanings.
What makes "one" such a common theme in word puzzles?
"One" is incredibly versatile in the English language. It functions as a number, a pronoun, and a crucial component of dozens of idioms. This versatility makes it a perfect "invisible" link for puzzles like this.