hint
n. countablen. a small piece of information that helps you guess an answer or solve a problem. It can also be a very small amount of something.
n. a slight or indirect suggestion intended to guide someone toward a conclusion. It may also refer to a trace or small amount of a particular quality or substance.
He gave me a hint to help me solve the puzzle.
The chef added a hint of lemon to the sauce to balance the heavy cream.
Although she refused to state her intentions directly, her constant references to the coast provided a strong hint about where she planned to move.
From Middle English hinten, hynten, variant of henten (“to lay hold of, catch”), from Old English hentan (“to seize, grasp”), from Proto-West Germanic hantijan, from Proto-Germanic hantijaną. Doublet of hent. Related also to hunt.
Often used with the preposition 'of' when referring to a small amount or trace.
He gave me a hint about how solve itHe gave me a hint about how to solve itWhen 'hint' is followed by a question word like 'how', it requires an infinitive with 'to'.