LinkedIn Pinpoint #760Answer & Analysis

Quick read: Familiar phrases and everyday terms built with one shared opening word.

Fast strategy: When the first clues are very open-ended, it is often better to wait for a more specific word before locking in a category.

The answer is Words that come before "back". Use the table below to check each clue, then skim the compact FAQ for the quickest path to the connection.

Today's puzzle looked simple. Almost too simple.

When I saw the first clue, I thought, "Alright, this can go a dozen different ways." And that's usually where Pinpoint gets you.

The opening clue was Paper.

My brain immediately went broad:

Things made from wood or pulp

Office supplies

Printable materials

Because Pinpoint loves straightforward categories as decoys, I figured it might be something physical and concrete. So I went with "Things made from wood."

Not a great start — but not unexpected either. One clue is rarely enough.

The second clue was Cut.

Now something clicked.

That phrase jumped out instantly.

And just like that, my earlier "materials" theory started to crumble. This didn't feel like a physical category anymore. It felt linguistic.

So I tested two new ideas in my head:

Words that can follow paper (paper cut)

Words that can come before something else

Then I thought of paperback.

And immediately after that — cutback.

This wasn't about objects. It was about compound words.

Pinpoint loves this structure. And "words that can precede back" fit both clues perfectly.

I submitted: Words that come before "back."

Even though I'd already solved it, the remaining clues made it even more satisfying.

Feed → feedback Flash → flashback Hump (🐋) → humpback

That whale emoji was the final wink. Humpback whale sealed it beyond doubt.

What I liked about this puzzle is how quickly the thinking had to pivot. I started in the physical world… and ended in wordplay.

That "paper cut" moment? That was the breakthrough.

Words that come before "back"