Skip to content
hints.day
LinkedIn · Patches

LinkedIn Patches #196 answer — September 29, 2026

Unofficial hints. Not affiliated with LinkedIn.

Hints get stronger as you go. The answer is always the last step — nothing is revealed until you tap.

  1. 1A first footholdShow hint
  2. 2Halfway thereShow hint
  3. 3Solve it step by stepShow hint

    Rows count from the top and columns from the left. Sizes read height × width, so a 1×4 strip lies along a row and a 4×1 strip runs down a column.

    1. The 14 in row 7, column 4 can only be a 2×7 rectangle, and the grid edge leaves it just one spot: the rectangle from row 6, column 1 to row 7, column 7.
    2. Only the 10 in row 4, column 7 can reach the cells in row 3, column 6 and row 5, column 6, so its patch must cover both. The patch of the 14 in row 7, column 4 leaves just one way to do that: the 5×2 rectangle from row 1, column 6 to row 5, column 7.
    3. The 10 in row 1, column 4 can only be a 2×5 rectangle, and the grid edge and the patch of the 10 in row 4, column 7 leave it just one spot: the rectangle from row 1, column 1 to row 2, column 5.
    4. Only the 15 in row 4, column 1 is left, so its patch is whatever remains: the 3×5 rectangle from row 3, column 1 to row 5, column 5.
  4. 4Patches #196 solutionShow answer
    • 5×2 rectangle at row 1, column 1
    • 5×3 rectangle at row 3, column 1
    • 2×5 rectangle at row 1, column 6
    • 7×2 rectangle at row 6, column 1

Spotted a wrong answer, or a hint that gives too much away? Email us at hello@hints.day

How to play Patches

  • Divide the whole grid into rectangles — no gaps, no overlaps.
  • Each rectangle contains exactly one clue.
  • A number tells you how many cells that rectangle covers.
  • The badge sets its shape: square (as tall as it is wide), tall (taller than wide), wide (wider than tall) or any.

Stuck on your own grid? Open the Patches solver.

Full Patches rules, a first game step by step, and FAQ

Read the Patches strategy guide →