fifth columnist 7 Little Words

Editorially verified for the Oct 16, 2026

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Portrait of Vidkun Quisling, the Norwegian politician whose name became a term for a traitor.

Clue explained

A quisling is a traitor who cooperates with an enemy, especially an occupying force. That makes it a close match for a fifth columnist, who secretly works against their own side from within.

Clue type:
Synonym

Recent 7 Little Words Answers

The last 7 days of solutions

The answer to “fifth columnist” in 7 Little Words is QUISLING — an 8-letter word from Puzzle 4, most recently Friday, October 16, 2026. If this is the one clue standing between you and a finished board, that's the word you need — and below you'll find why it fits, how to build it from that puzzle's tiles, and links to the day's other clues if more than one is giving you trouble.

“fifth columnist” answer

The 7 Little Words answer for “fifth columnist” (most recently Friday, October 16, 2026, Puzzle 4) is:

QUISLING·8 letters

You can also reveal it one tile at a time above if you'd rather keep some of the challenge.

When else has “fifth columnist” appeared?

  • October 16, 2026 (most recent) → QUISLING

Why the answer is QUISLING

Think of a traitor secretly helping the enemy from within. 🕵️

How to build QUISLING from the tiles

In 7 Little Words you don't type the answer — you assemble it from the puzzle's shared tile bank, and every tile is used exactly once across all seven answers. Puzzle 4's tiles for October 16, 2026 are:

SCAL · LION · QUIS · LING · FL · AM · ES · VEG · ETA · RIAN · BE · NEFI · TS · CH · AR · ACT · ERS · FUG · ACIO · US

QUISLING is built by combining the tiles QUIS · LING in order. Because those tiles come out of the shared bank, locking in QUISLING early also narrows what's left for the other six clues.

More clues from this puzzle

Stuck on another clue? Here are the rest of Puzzle 4's clues for October 16, 2026 — tap any for its answer and tile breakdown:

Want all five puzzles in one place? The full day is on the October 16, 2026 answers page, and today's live answers are always one tap from the main 7 Little Words page.

About 7 Little Words

7 Little Words is a daily clue-and-tile puzzle from Blue Ox Technologies. Each board gives seven clues and a bank of two- and three-letter tiles; you spell every answer by combining tiles, using each tile exactly once. Five free puzzles publish every day, resetting at midnight Eastern Time. This was a Friday puzzle.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “fifth columnist” in 7 Little Words?

The answer is QUISLING, an 8-letter word from Puzzle 4, most recently Friday, October 16, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “fifth columnist”?

8 letters: QUISLING.

Which tiles spell QUISLING?

The tiles QUIS · LING combine to spell QUISLING, drawn from Puzzle 4's shared tile bank.

Can “fifth columnist” have a different 7 Little Words answer?

Blue Ox can reuse a clue on another date, and the tile bank differs each day, so the answer that fits can change.

What time does 7 Little Words reset?

Every day at midnight Eastern Time. We post each day's answers as soon as the new puzzles go live.

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