Word Salad Classic hints for September 12, 2026 · #926

Think about a natural material, from something living to pieces produced by cutting.

Look for woody growth, a substantial length of timber, fine cutting residue and a sharp fragment.

PLANK is the worked timber member: a long, broad, relatively thick piece of wood. It fits the material itself, rather than the living plant.

Supporting source 1 · Wiktionary contributors, English entry “plank”, linked revision · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original paraphrase of contributor-written lexical definitions. The connections to these recorded puzzle answers are our own interpretation. Adapted text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. No third-party quotations, audio or images are reused.

SAPLING supplies the young growth: a tree beyond the seedling stage. Its role in the theme is a living woody plant, rather than a cut piece.

Supporting source 1 · Wiktionary contributors, English entry “sapling”, linked revision · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original paraphrase of contributor-written lexical definitions. The connections to these recorded puzzle answers are our own interpretation. Adapted text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. No third-party quotations, audio or images are reused.

Supporting source 2 · Wiktionary contributors, English entry “tree”, linked revision · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original paraphrase of contributor-written lexical definitions. The connections to these recorded puzzle answers are our own interpretation. Adapted text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. No third-party quotations, audio or images are reused.

SAWDUST is the fine residue left by sawing. For this wood theme, use the wood-cutting sense; the definition can also apply to other sawn materials.

Supporting source 1 · Wiktionary contributors, English entry “sawdust”, linked revision · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original paraphrase of contributor-written lexical definitions. The connections to these recorded puzzle answers are our own interpretation. Adapted text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. No third-party quotations, audio or images are reused.

SPLINTER is the narrow, pointed fragment that can separate from wood. The word is broader than wood alone, so the material context selects the relevant example.

Supporting source 1 · Wiktionary contributors, English entry “splinter”, linked revision · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original paraphrase of contributor-written lexical definitions. The connections to these recorded puzzle answers are our own interpretation. Adapted text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. No third-party quotations, audio or images are reused.

TREE supplies the large woody plant, with a trunk and branches. Alongside SAPLING it represents living growth, while PLANK, SAWDUST and SPLINTER concern worked or separated wood.

Supporting source 1 · Wiktionary contributors, English entry “plank”, linked revision · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original paraphrase of contributor-written lexical definitions. The connections to these recorded puzzle answers are our own interpretation. Adapted text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. No third-party quotations, audio or images are reused.

Supporting source 2 · Wiktionary contributors, English entry “sapling”, linked revision · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original paraphrase of contributor-written lexical definitions. The connections to these recorded puzzle answers are our own interpretation. Adapted text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. No third-party quotations, audio or images are reused.

Supporting source 3 · Wiktionary contributors, English entry “sawdust”, linked revision · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original paraphrase of contributor-written lexical definitions. The connections to these recorded puzzle answers are our own interpretation. Adapted text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. No third-party quotations, audio or images are reused.

Supporting source 4 · Wiktionary contributors, English entry “splinter”, linked revision · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original paraphrase of contributor-written lexical definitions. The connections to these recorded puzzle answers are our own interpretation. Adapted text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. No third-party quotations, audio or images are reused.

Supporting source 5 · Wiktionary contributors, English entry “tree”, linked revision · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original paraphrase of contributor-written lexical definitions. The connections to these recorded puzzle answers are our own interpretation. Adapted text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. No third-party quotations, audio or images are reused.

The shared link is wood and woody growth. TREE and SAPLING cover living plants; PLANK is a substantial timber piece; SAWDUST and SPLINTER are much smaller pieces produced or separated during working or damage. These roles explain the set without treating the five answers as synonyms.

Supporting source 1 · Wiktionary contributors, English entry “plank”, linked revision · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original paraphrase of contributor-written lexical definitions. The connections to these recorded puzzle answers are our own interpretation. Adapted text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. No third-party quotations, audio or images are reused.

Supporting source 2 · Wiktionary contributors, English entry “sapling”, linked revision · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original paraphrase of contributor-written lexical definitions. The connections to these recorded puzzle answers are our own interpretation. Adapted text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. No third-party quotations, audio or images are reused.

Supporting source 3 · Wiktionary contributors, English entry “sawdust”, linked revision · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original paraphrase of contributor-written lexical definitions. The connections to these recorded puzzle answers are our own interpretation. Adapted text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. No third-party quotations, audio or images are reused.

Supporting source 4 · Wiktionary contributors, English entry “splinter”, linked revision · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original paraphrase of contributor-written lexical definitions. The connections to these recorded puzzle answers are our own interpretation. Adapted text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. No third-party quotations, audio or images are reused.

Supporting source 5 · Wiktionary contributors, English entry “tree”, linked revision · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original paraphrase of contributor-written lexical definitions. The connections to these recorded puzzle answers are our own interpretation. Adapted text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. No third-party quotations, audio or images are reused.