2026-09-20
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Puzzle guide
Full breakdown using the Strategy coach format — answer, clue-by-clue analysis, and strategy notes.
Overview
LinkedIn Pinpoint #873 is the LinkedIn Pinpoint daily for September 20, 2026. Pinpoint is LinkedIn's category-guessing game: five clues share one hidden theme, and you get up to five guesses with optional hints on the board below. This page includes the live board, a solved-board view, and a step-by-step Solution walkthrough. Difficulty: Hard. Estimated solve time: 6–10 min. Read the explainer sections below for strategy, or jump straight into play.
Answer
Things with holds
This is a category match puzzle — each clue is a member of Things with holds, not a loose thematic association.
Analysis
When "Cargo ships" appears alone, the teaching moment is patience. Students who guess from clue one often waste a reveal; better to collect more data first.
Clue two ("Wrestling matches") teaches elimination: cross out categories that fit only the first row.
"Climbing walls" is the snap moment — ask whether one category label covers "Cargo ships", "Wrestling matches", "Climbing walls" without stretching.
"Bank accounts (after big deposits)" should feel like more of the same pattern, not a genre shift.
"Phone calls (“please wait!”)" is the final exam for your guess. Strong answers feel obvious in hindsight.
The lesson: "Things with holds" is the label that survives every reveal. Teach yourself to hold guesses until the pattern repeats.
Clues
Connection to answer
Teaching point for "Cargo ships": Cargo ships satisfies the category "Things with holds" in the same straightforward way as the other rows.
Solving role
Warm-up clue: Practice holding your guess — "Cargo ships" is not enough data.
Connection to answer
Teaching point for "Wrestling matches": Wrestling matches satisfies the category "Things with holds" in the same straightforward way as the other rows.
Solving role
Hypothesis test: Ask whether your category explains "Wrestling matches" the same way it explained earlier rows.
Connection to answer
Teaching point for "Climbing walls": Climbing walls satisfies the category "Things with holds" in the same straightforward way as the other rows.
Solving role
Category snap: Ask whether your category explains "Climbing walls" the same way it explained earlier rows.
Connection to answer
Teaching point for "Bank accounts (after big deposits)": Bank accounts (after big deposits) satisfies the category "Things with holds" in the same straightforward way as the other rows.
Solving role
Sanity check: Ask whether your category explains "Bank accounts (after big deposits)" the same way it explained earlier rows.
Connection to answer
Teaching point for "Phone calls (“please wait!”)": Phone calls (“please wait!”) satisfies the category "Things with holds" in the same straightforward way as the other rows.
Solving role
Final proof: Ask whether your category explains "Phone calls (“please wait!”)" the same way it explained earlier rows.
Verification
Students should remember: "Things with holds" works because it is broad enough for every clue and specific enough to exclude wrong guesses. "Cargo ships", "Wrestling matches", "Climbing walls", "Bank accounts (after big deposits)", and "Phone calls (“please wait!”)" each map to the category the same way — that consistency is what Pinpoint tests.
Solve path
With only "Cargo ships", many categories could fit. Hold your first guess and watch what clue 2 eliminates. "Cargo ships" and "Wrestling matches" must share one repeatable link — not a coincidence between two words. By clue 3 ("Climbing walls"), "Things with holds" should explain all three without bending meanings. "Bank accounts (after big deposits)" strengthens "Things with holds" rather than opening a new theory. The final clue ("Phone calls (“please wait!”)") confirms "Things with holds" — if it still fits naturally, the category is locked.
Pattern
The clues look unrelated on the surface but share one precise category. Read all five before guessing — the link should feel natural on every row.
Learn more in Pinpoint Puzzle Strategies →Takeaways
After "Cargo ships", at least three categories still work. That is normal. The skill is waiting until the same rule repeats — here, that rule is "Things with holds".
If your guess fits "Cargo ships" and "Wrestling matches" but fails on "Climbing walls", it is too narrow. If it fits everything loosely but never feels precise, it is too broad. "Things with holds" balances both.
"Phone calls (“please wait!”)" is not a trick — it is an audit. Strong solvers re-read all five clues after the last reveal before submitting "Things with holds".
Practice
Solution
This puzzle asks you to find the single category linking five clues: Cargo ships, Wrestling matches, Climbing walls, Bank accounts (after big deposits), and Phone calls (“please wait!”). The answer is Things with holds. The clues look unrelated on the surface but share one precise category. Read all five before guessing — the link should feel natural on every row. With only "Cargo ships", many categories could fit. Hold your first guess and watch what clue 2 eliminates. "Cargo ships" and "Wrestling matches" must share one repeatable link — not a coincidence between two words. By clue 3 ("Climbing walls"), "Things with holds" should explain all three without bending meanings. "Bank accounts (after big deposits)" strengthens "Things with holds" rather than opening a new theory. The final clue ("Phone calls (“please wait!”)") confirms "Things with holds" — if it still fits naturally, the category is locked. Use the Solution tab above for an interactive clue-by-clue walkthrough, or the Solved board tab for the complete answer at a glance.