Thursday · January 16, 2020

7 Little Words January 16, 2020 Answers

All 14 Clues Solved

14 answers for the January 16, 2020 puzzle, 4–11 letters each — above the archive average of 10.3 per day.

14 answers 4–11 letters 113 letters total ← Jan 15 Jan 17 →
14Answers
11Longest
113Total Letters
2,900Dates Archived
About this puzzle

January 16, 2020 — Complete Answer Guide

This page has every answer to the 7 Little Words puzzle published on January 16, 2020, a Thursday. There are 14 answers in total, running from 4 to 11 letters and 113 letters combined. That puts this date above the archive-wide average of 10.3 answers per day.

The longest answer is STREAMLINES at 11 letters, and the shortest is PANS at 4. Placing the longest tile groups first usually cuts the puzzle open, because the remaining fragments are then far easier to match. Each clue below is paired with its verified answer and letter count.

Across the 14 answers there are 7 different answer lengths, and 7 letters is the most common at 4 of them — useful when you are matching tile groups, because the length rules out most combinations before you try any. The answers use 41 vowels in total out of 113 letters, so vowel-heavy fragments are worth placing early on this board.

Looking for a different date? Step back to January 15, 2020 or forward to January 17, 2020, browse everything from 2020, or open the full daily archive covering 2,900 dates back to September 2018.

All answers

14 Answers for January 16, 2020

#ClueAnswerLettersCopy
#1 1960s sitcom castaway GILLIGAN 8
#2 Cuba and Taiwan ISLANDS 7
#3 Earth science GEOLOGY 7
#4 Filled with CONTAINING 10
#5 In a very clear way DISTINCTLY 10
#6 Lawn care tools MOWERS 6
#7 Makes more efficient STREAMLINES 11
#8 Pencil ends ERASERS 7
#9 Pots' counterparts PANS 4
#10 Smaller division SUBCATEGORY 11
#11 Taped - but not literally RECORDED 8
#12 Unedited film FOOTAGE 7
#13 Without kids CHILDLESS 9
#14 Yellow birds CANARIES 8
Clue breakdown

Clue-by-Clue Breakdown

#1 GILLIGAN

1960s sitcom castaway — 8 letters, 3 vowels and 5 consonants. Contains a repeated letter, which narrows the tile groups that can fit.

#2 ISLANDS

Cuba and Taiwan — 7 letters, 2 vowels and 5 consonants. Contains a repeated letter, which narrows the tile groups that can fit.

#3 GEOLOGY

Earth science — 7 letters, 3 vowels and 4 consonants. Contains a repeated letter, which narrows the tile groups that can fit.

#4 CONTAINING

Filled with — 10 letters, 4 vowels and 6 consonants. Contains a repeated letter, which narrows the tile groups that can fit.

#5 DISTINCTLY

In a very clear way — 10 letters, 2 vowels and 8 consonants. Contains a repeated letter, which narrows the tile groups that can fit.

#6 MOWERS

Lawn care tools — 6 letters, 2 vowels and 4 consonants.

#7 STREAMLINES

Makes more efficient — 11 letters, 4 vowels and 7 consonants. The longest answer here — worth placing first, since it consumes the most tile groups.

#8 ERASERS

Pencil ends — 7 letters, 3 vowels and 4 consonants. Contains a repeated letter, which narrows the tile groups that can fit.

#9 PANS

Pots' counterparts — 4 letters, 1 vowel and 3 consonants. One of the shortest answers on this date.

#10 SUBCATEGORY

Smaller division — 11 letters, 4 vowels and 7 consonants. The longest answer here — worth placing first, since it consumes the most tile groups.

#11 RECORDED

Taped - but not literally — 8 letters, 3 vowels and 5 consonants. Contains a repeated letter, which narrows the tile groups that can fit.

#12 FOOTAGE

Unedited film — 7 letters, 4 vowels and 3 consonants. Contains a repeated letter, which narrows the tile groups that can fit.

#13 CHILDLESS

Without kids — 9 letters, 2 vowels and 7 consonants. Contains a repeated letter, which narrows the tile groups that can fit.

#14 CANARIES

Yellow birds — 8 letters, 4 vowels and 4 consonants. Contains a repeated letter, which narrows the tile groups that can fit.

FAQ

January 16, 2020 — Questions

What are the 7 Little Words answers for January 16, 2020?
The January 16, 2020 puzzle has 14 answers: GILLIGAN, ISLANDS, GEOLOGY, CONTAINING, DISTINCTLY, MOWERS, STREAMLINES, ERASERS, PANS, SUBCATEGORY, RECORDED, FOOTAGE, CHILDLESS, CANARIES.
How many answers are in the January 16, 2020 puzzle?
There are 14 answers published for this date, above the archive average of 10.3 per day. Answer lengths run from 4 to 11 letters, 113 letters in total.
What is the longest answer on January 16, 2020?
The longest answer is STREAMLINES at 11 letters, and the shortest is PANS at 4.
Is this the newest 7 Little Words puzzle?
No. The newest puzzle on record is August 26, 2026. Browse every date in the daily archive.
Pro tips

3 Tips for 7 Little Words

01

The board is the whole puzzle

Every answer is built from what the level actually shows you and nothing else. Counting that first rules out most of what comes to mind, which is quicker than trying words and being rejected.

02

Place the longest answer first

Long answers use up the awkward letters and leave a set that spells the short ones out for you. Starting long is consistently faster than sweeping for three-letter words.

03

Neighbouring levels are the best hint

Difficulty climbs gradually rather than in jumps, so the levels either side of a hard one reuse its patterns. They are more useful than any hint the game sells you.

How to play

How to Solve a 7 Little Words Level

The order that clears a board fastest.

STEP 01

Read what you are given

Letters, tiles or clues — count them before you start. That constraint is the strongest filter you have.

STEP 02

Anchor with the answers you are sure of

Each confirmed answer narrows the ones it touches, so the easy entries are worth the first minute.

STEP 03

Work outwards

Follow the chain from what you have placed rather than jumping around the board.

How we check

Verified Answers, Not Guesses

How we verify these answers

Every answer on this page is read from the game's own puzzle data rather than retyped from another site, and is checked against what the board actually provides — so nothing listed can use a letter the level does not give you. The counts shown are computed from the stored data, not typed in by hand.

Reviewed by Priya Raghunathan, Word Games Editor at Puzzle Solved. The full checking routine is in the methodology, and the standards every page is held to are in the editorial policy.

Last checked — Aug 26, 2026
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