The August 2, 2026 Minute Cryptic is clue 768, and it packs several tricks into one sentence. The definition hides a small twist, and the wordplay stacks three separate instructions on top of two words pulled from the clue. Reading it twice pays off here.
Quick answer: The solution to clue 768 is SILENT K, a two-part response of six letters plus one, matching the (6, 1) enumeration.
Today’s clue and progressive hints
The clue for August 2, 2026 reads:
Tinkle all over the place after surprise entry… Maybe knock first? (6, 1)
If you want to solve it yourself, start with the lightest hint and stop as soon as the answer clicks.
- The definition is ‘Maybe knock first?’, sitting at the end of the clue.
- The word ‘maybe’ is a category flag. The answer is not “knock first” itself, but something that “knock first” is an example of.
- The word ‘first’ is doing double duty. It looks like part of the definition, but it also hints at position.
- The fodder comes from two words in the clue: ‘Tinkle’ and ‘surprise’.
The three indicators in clue 768
Three separate instructions run across the sentence, and applying them in the right order builds the answer. Each one tells you exactly what to do with the fodder.
| Indicator | Type | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| All over the place | Anagram | Rearrange the letters of the neighbouring word. |
| After | Repositioning | Place what comes before it after what follows it. |
| Entry | Selection | Pick a specific letter by its position in nearby fodder. |
How the wordplay produces SILENT K
The definition seals it. A “knock first” is a literal example of a silent K, where the letter K sits at the start of a word but is not spoken. Knock, kneel, knight, and knot all begin with a silent K, so “knock first” works as both a fair cryptic definition and a playful instruction.
You know you have solved it correctly when both routes point to the same answer. SILENT K matches the (6, 1) length, satisfies the definition, and is built cleanly by the wordplay with no spare letters.
Recent Minute Cryptic answers
If you are catching up on a streak, here are the most recent confirmed solutions leading into clue 768.
| Date | Answer |
|---|---|
| August 2, 2026 | SILENT K |
| August 1, 2026 | CASHEW |
| July 31, 2026 | CYMBALS |
| July 30, 2026 | MOTHER |
| July 29, 2026 | ARCHIPELAGO |
| July 28, 2026 | EXILED |
| July 27, 2026 | TOES |
| July 26, 2026 | FINANCE |
| July 25, 2026 | CHEMISTRY |
| July 24, 2026 | UPPER CASE |
How Minute Cryptic works
Minute Cryptic is a daily single-clue cryptic crossword that resets once local midnight passes. Every clue offers two independent paths to the same answer. One is a plain definition, and the other is wordplay built from fodder and indicators.
The definition always sits at the very start or the very end of the clue and points directly at the meaning. The wordplay is the mechanical route, where fodder supplies the raw letters and indicators tell you what to do, whether that means anagramming, reversing, selecting a letter by position, or spotting a hidden word.
The hint system is forgiving. You can reveal the definition, the indicators, the fodder, or single letters one at a time, and there is no failure state. New players can work through the guided courses on the official Minute Cryptic site and its iOS and Android apps before tackling the daily clue.
Clue 768 is a neat example of how much a single sentence can carry. Once you separate the definition twist from the three stacked instructions, SILENT K falls out cleanly, and the surface reading about tinkling and surprise entries turns out to be pure misdirection.
