Permanent answer & walkthrough (Pinpoint Today archive)
Pinpoint Answer Today asks: what links Colon, Ellipsis, Morse code, Pointillist paintings, and Lowercase i's and j's - and what story do they share? Follow the spoiler-safe hints one by one, then reveal the final connection and see how each clue fits together.
Colon Ellipsis Morse code Pointillist paintings - What connects Colon, Ellipsis, Morse code, Pointillist paintings?
LinkedIn Pinpoint #567 Answer:
Detailed breakdown continues just below - keep scrolling
Today's Pinpoint begins with punctuation, a familiar and concrete category. Seeing Colon and Ellipsis immediately suggests a grammatical theme, but the theory starts to fray when Morse code arrives. A system of dashes and dots doesn't quite fit with punctuation marks used in prose. This left me searching for a more fundamental, perhaps even visual, characteristic that could unite such disparate elements.
I started out convinced the answer had to be related to grammar. A colon separates clauses, an ellipsis indicates a pause or omission... the theme felt obvious. I was already leaning toward a guess like 'forms of punctuation' when the third clue, Morse code, appeared. That was a major wrench in the works. While it uses punctuation marks, it's fundamentally a communication system. My theory was breaking down.
I paused and reconsidered. What did a colon, an ellipsis, and Morse code truly have in common? I started thinking about their visual structure. A colon has two dots, an ellipsis is a series of dots, Morse code is made of dots and dashes. The word 'dots' felt right. Then clue four, Pointillist paintings, dropped, and it was a perfect, vivid confirmation of my new theory. The connection wasn't about function, but about form. This realization made the final clue, Lowercase i's and j's, feel less like a curveball and more like a satisfying, final piece clicking into place.
That was the 'aha' moment—realizing the puzzle wasn't about what these things *do*, but what they *look like*. The theme was simple, physical, and hiding in plain sight all along.
| Clue Word | Example Phrase | Connection Explained |
|---|---|---|
| Colon | “Colon punctuation” | A colon is a punctuation mark consisting of two dots stacked vertically, often used to introduce a list or explanation. |
| Ellipsis | “The three dots of an ellipsis” | An ellipsis is represented by three dots, indicating that something has been omitted or that a thought is trailing off. |
| Morse code | “Morse code uses dots and dashes” | In Morse code, the fundamental symbols used to represent letters and numbers are composed of short signals called dots and longer signals called dashes. |
| Pointillist paintings | “Dot patterns” | Pointillist paintings are created using small dots of color that blend visually to form an image when viewed from a distance. |
| Lowercase i's and j's | “i's and j's in writing” | The lowercase letters 'i' and 'j' are characterized by their dots, which are essential parts of their standard forms in written text. |
Once the answer was revealed, everything made perfect sense. Here's how each clue connects:
Look for visual properties, not just function
Don't assume the connection is based on what an item does. For clues like 'Pointillist paintings' and 'Morse code', asking 'What does it look like?' can be more productive than 'What is it used for?'.
Don't marry your first theory
The 'Forms of punctuation' idea was a strong but ultimately wrong path. When a new clue like 'Morse code' challenges your initial hypothesis, be ready to pivot and find a new, more universal connection.
Use outliers to stress-test your idea
The clues that seem least related, like 'Pointillist paintings', are actually the most helpful. If you can make your theme work for the outlier, it will almost certainly work for the more obvious clues.
The connector is 'Things with dots'. For example, a colon is punctuation made of two dots, and Pointillist paintings are art created entirely from dots.
While a colon and an ellipsis are forms of punctuation, the other three clues are not. Morse code is a communication system, Pointillist paintings are an art style, and lowercase i's and j's are letters.
No, some Morse code letters are represented by dashes only, while others use combinations of dots and dashes. However, the dot is one of the two fundamental building blocks of the entire system.
Yes, the small dot above a lowercase 'i' or 'j' is technically called a 'tittle'.
