Deluxe Waffle #140 answers and hints
Need a nudge on the Saturday, July 18, 2026 grid? Start with one clue. Nothing else shows until you tap it.
The starting grid for #140
8 words hide in this 7×7 grid. You get 25 swaps, and the best solve takes 20.
Want one more try first? Play #140.
Hints for each word in #140
Tap one hint at a time. The clue comes first. Then you get the first and last letters. The word shows only when you tap the last button.
Word 1: the first row (row 1)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: a localized and violently destructive windstorm occurring over land characterized by a funnel-shaped cloud extending toward the ground
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with T and ends with O.
Show the word
TORNADO
Word 2: the second row (row 3)
Hint 1: the clue
adjective: unpleasantly loud and harsh
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with R and ends with S.
Show the word
RAUCOUS
Word 3: the third row (row 5)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: someone who operates an aircraft
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with A and ends with R.
Show the word
AVIATOR
Word 4: the fourth row (row 7)
Hint 1: the clue
adjective: open and genuine
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with S and ends with E.
Show the word
SINCERE
Word 5: the first column (column 1)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: informal terms for clothing
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with T and ends with S.
Show the word
THREADS
Word 6: the second column (column 3)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: a party of former associates who have come together again
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with R and ends with N.
Show the word
REUNION
Word 7: the third column (column 5)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: an ardent early supporter of a cause or reform
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with A and ends with E.
Show the word
APOSTLE
Word 8: the fourth column (column 7)
Hint 1: the clue
verb: discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with O and ends with E.
Show the word
OBSERVE
What is the answer to Deluxe #140?
The answer is 8 words that fit together in one grid. Tap below to see all of them. This puzzle has only one answer, so if your words differ, a letter is still in the wrong place.
Show the full answer grid
Across: TORNADO, RAUCOUS, AVIATOR, SINCERE
Down: THREADS, REUNION, APOSTLE, OBSERVE
How do you solve #140 in 20 swaps?
Make the swaps that fix two tiles at once first. This grid has 10 of them. The list below is one shortest route from the start to the answer.
Show every swap
- Swap row 1, column 7 with row 3, column 6. This puts O and U in place.
- Swap row 3, column 1 with row 4, column 7. This puts R and E in place.
- Swap row 4, column 1 with row 4, column 5. This puts E and S in place.
- Swap row 5, column 4 with row 7, column 2. This puts A and I in place.
- Swap row 6, column 5 with row 7, column 1. This puts L and S in place.
- Swap row 1, column 1 with row 2, column 3. This puts E in place.
- Swap row 1, column 1 with row 2, column 1. This puts H in place.
- Swap row 1, column 1 with row 3, column 2. This puts A in place.
- Swap row 1, column 1 with row 6, column 3. This puts T and O in place.
- Swap row 1, column 4 with row 5, column 3. This puts N in place.
- Swap row 1, column 6 with row 5, column 2. This puts D in place.
- Swap row 5, column 2 with row 7, column 4. This puts V and C in place.
- Swap row 2, column 5 with row 3, column 5. This puts P in place.
- Swap row 2, column 7 with row 3, column 4. This puts B in place.
- Swap row 3, column 4 with row 5, column 5. This puts C and T in place.
- Swap row 3, column 5 with row 5, column 3. This puts I in place.
- Swap row 3, column 5 with row 5, column 7. This puts R in place.
- Swap row 3, column 5 with row 7, column 7. This puts O and E in place.
- Swap row 3, column 7 with row 5, column 1. This puts S in place.
- Swap row 5, column 1 with row 6, column 7. This puts A and V in place.
What do the words in #140 mean?
- TORNADO
- noun: a localized and violently destructive windstorm occurring over land characterized by a funnel-shaped cloud extending toward the ground
- RAUCOUS
- adjective: unpleasantly loud and harsh
- AVIATOR
- noun: someone who operates an aircraft
- SINCERE
- adjective: open and genuine
- THREADS
- noun: informal terms for clothing
- REUNION
- noun: a party of former associates who have come together again
- APOSTLE
- noun: an ardent early supporter of a cause or reform
- OBSERVE
- verb: discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
Word meanings come from WordNet 3.1, a free English dictionary from Princeton University. Puzzle published Saturday, July 18, 2026.