Deluxe Waffle #175 answers and hints
Need a nudge on the Saturday, August 22, 2026 grid? Start with one clue. Nothing else shows until you tap it.
The starting grid for #175
8 words hide in this 7×7 grid. You get 25 swaps, and the best solve takes 20.
Want one more try first? Play #175.
Hints for each word in #175
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
adjective: furnished with people
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with P and ends with D.
Show the word
PEOPLED
Word 2: the second row (row 3)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: a writer who argues in opposition to others (especially in theology)
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with P and ends with C.
Show the word
POLEMIC
Word 3: the third row (row 5)
Hint 1: the clue
verb: address a question to and expect an answer from
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with I and ends with E.
Show the word
INQUIRE
Word 4: the fourth row (row 7)
Hint 1: the clue
adjective: for which vengeance has been taken
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with A and ends with D.
Show the word
AVENGED
Word 5: the first column (column 1)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: plant bearing large mild thick-walled usually bell-shaped fruits
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with P and ends with A.
Show the word
PAPRIKA
Word 6: the second column (column 3)
Hint 1: the clue
adjective: slanting or inclined in direction or course or position, neither parallel nor perpendicular nor right-angled
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with O and ends with E.
Show the word
OBLIQUE
Word 7: the third column (column 5)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: disability of walking due to crippling of the legs or feet
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with L and ends with G.
Show the word
LIMPING
Word 8: the fourth column (column 7)
Hint 1: the clue
adjective: fixed or established especially by order or command
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with D and ends with D.
Show the word
DECREED
What is the answer to Deluxe #175?
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: PEOPLED, POLEMIC, INQUIRE, AVENGED
Down: PAPRIKA, OBLIQUE, LIMPING, DECREED
How do you solve #175 in 20 swaps?
Make the swaps that fix two tiles at once first. This grid has 9 of them. The list below is one shortest route from the start to the answer.
Show every swap
- Swap row 1, column 3 with row 6, column 7. This puts O and E in place.
- Swap row 1, column 7 with row 2, column 3. This puts D and B in place.
- Swap row 4, column 3 with row 5, column 2. This puts I and N in place.
- Swap row 1, column 1 with row 1, column 6. This puts E in place.
- Swap row 1, column 1 with row 6, column 5. This puts P and N in place.
- Swap row 1, column 4 with row 2, column 7. This puts E in place.
- Swap row 1, column 4 with row 4, column 7. This puts P and R in place.
- Swap row 2, column 5 with row 5, column 7. This puts E in place.
- Swap row 2, column 5 with row 7, column 2. This puts I in place.
- Swap row 3, column 1 with row 3, column 7. This puts P in place.
- Swap row 3, column 2 with row 5, column 6. This puts R in place.
- Swap row 3, column 2 with row 7, column 2. This puts V in place.
- Swap row 3, column 2 with row 7, column 4. This puts O and N in place.
- Swap row 3, column 6 with row 5, column 4. This puts I in place.
- Swap row 3, column 7 with row 4, column 1. This puts C in place.
- Swap row 4, column 1 with row 7, column 6. This puts R and E in place.
- Swap row 4, column 5 with row 5, column 4. This puts U in place.
- Swap row 4, column 5 with row 6, column 1. This puts P and K in place.
- Swap row 5, column 3 with row 7, column 3. This puts E in place.
- Swap row 5, column 3 with row 7, column 5. This puts Q and G in place.
What do the words in #175 mean?
- PEOPLED
- adjective: furnished with people
- POLEMIC
- noun: a writer who argues in opposition to others (especially in theology)
- INQUIRE
- verb: address a question to and expect an answer from
- AVENGED
- adjective: for which vengeance has been taken
- PAPRIKA
- noun: plant bearing large mild thick-walled usually bell-shaped fruits
- OBLIQUE
- adjective: slanting or inclined in direction or course or position, neither parallel nor perpendicular nor right-angled
- LIMPING
- noun: disability of walking due to crippling of the legs or feet
- DECREED
- adjective: fixed or established especially by order or command
Word meanings come from WordNet 3.1, a free English dictionary from Princeton University. Puzzle published Saturday, August 22, 2026.