Learn English – Verb for “piece together clues”

single-word-requestsverbs

Is there a verb that more or less means "to piece together clues"? I'm looking for something like "detectivize," which, unfortunately, isn't a word.

The closest I came up with is "investigate," but this is far from my intended meaning.

Best Answer

The canonical work of detective reasoning, The Complete Sherlock Holmes uses:

  • reason 71 times (although not necessarily all as a verb)
  • deduce 19 times
  • solve — 16
  • puzzle — 12 (puzzle out — 6)
  • unravel — 5
  • infer — 4
  • sleuth — 1
  • decipher — 1
  • ratiocinate — 0
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