Devotees of the BBC's notoriously difficult quiz show Only Connect found themselves thoroughly perplexed by a sequence puzzle shared online, despite its ultimately straightforward solution.
The Puzzle That Baffled the Brains Trust
The conundrum, inspired by the show's challenging second round, was posted on a dedicated Only Connect forum on Reddit. It presented three clues, each following the same format: two letters, an arrow, then a single letter. The clues given were: EN -> E, TR -> X, AN -> I.
The task for fans was to deduce the next logical step in the pattern. This round of the show, hosted by Victoria Coren Mitchell, typically gives contestants a maximum of three clues to work out what would come fourth in a sequence, demanding serious lateral thinking.
From 'Impossible' to 'Easy' in a Flash
Initial reactions from commenters on the social media platform declared the puzzle seemingly "impossible" to crack. Without the pressure of the show's iconic ticking clock, users took their time to mull it over.
The breakthrough came when enthusiasts stopped focusing on the individual letter combinations and looked at the bigger picture. As one user later noted, the solution became "absolutely obvious" when the clues were viewed side-by-side rather than in isolation.
The Simple Solution Revealed
The answer to the sequence was CE -> T.
The puzzle ingeniously spelled out two common words: "Entrance" and "Exit". The first clue, EN -> E, provided the opening letters of both words. The subsequent clues, TR -> X and AN -> I, delivered the following letters in sequence.
Therefore, the only elements missing from the complete words were the "CE" from the end of Entrance and the "T" from the end of Exit, making CE -> T the logical fourth clue.
One Reddit user posted the concise answer without explanation, prompting another to clarify the full solution: "ENTRANCE -> EXIT". The revelation on 12 January 2026 showcased the elegant, wordplay-based design that makes the BBC Two programme such a beloved brain-teaser for British quiz fans.
