Deluxe Waffle #36 answers and hints
Need a nudge on the Sunday, April 5, 2026 grid? Start with one clue. Nothing else shows until you tap it.
The starting grid for #36
8 words hide in this 7×7 grid. You get 25 swaps, and the best solve takes 20.
Want one more try first? Play #36.
Hints for each word in #36
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
verb: change from one system to another or to a new plan or policy
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with C and ends with T.
Show the word
CONVERT
Word 2: the second row (row 3)
Hint 1: the clue
verb: heighten or intensify
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with A and ends with E.
Show the word
ANIMATE
Word 3: the third row (row 5)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: a learned person (especially in the humanities)
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with S and ends with R.
Show the word
SCHOLAR
Word 4: the fourth row (row 7)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: one of several parallel layers of material arranged one on top of another (such as a layer of tissue or cells in an organism or a layer of sedimentary rock)
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with S and ends with M.
Show the word
STRATUM
Word 5: the first column (column 1)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: alternative names for the body of a human being
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with C and ends with S.
Show the word
CHASSIS
Word 6: the second column (column 3)
Hint 1: the clue
adjective: not either
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with N and ends with R.
Show the word
NEITHER
Word 7: the third column (column 5)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: adornment consisting of an ornamental cloth pad worn on the shoulder
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with E and ends with T.
Show the word
EPAULET
Word 8: the fourth column (column 7)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: a proposition deducible from basic postulates
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with T and ends with M.
Show the word
THEOREM
What is the answer to Deluxe #36?
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: CONVERT, ANIMATE, SCHOLAR, STRATUM
Down: CHASSIS, NEITHER, EPAULET, THEOREM
How do you solve #36 in 20 swaps?
Make the swaps that fix two tiles at once first. This grid has 11 of them. The list below is one shortest route from the start to the answer.
Show every swap
- Swap row 1, column 2 with row 2, column 3. This puts O and E in place.
- Swap row 1, column 6 with row 7, column 4. This puts R and A in place.
- Swap row 1, column 7 with row 7, column 6. This puts T and U in place.
- Swap row 3, column 2 with row 7, column 1. This puts N and S in place.
- Swap row 5, column 1 with row 7, column 2. This puts S and T in place.
- Swap row 1, column 1 with row 4, column 5. This puts C in place.
- Swap row 4, column 5 with row 7, column 3. This puts U and R in place.
- Swap row 1, column 3 with row 2, column 1. This puts H in place.
- Swap row 1, column 3 with row 1, column 4. This puts V in place.
- Swap row 1, column 3 with row 3, column 1. This puts N in place.
- Swap row 3, column 1 with row 7, column 5. This puts A and T in place.
- Swap row 2, column 5 with row 3, column 5. This puts A in place.
- Swap row 2, column 5 with row 4, column 1. This puts P and S in place.
- Swap row 2, column 7 with row 5, column 2. This puts C in place.
- Swap row 2, column 7 with row 4, column 3. This puts T in place.
- Swap row 2, column 7 with row 6, column 7. This puts H and E in place.
- Swap row 3, column 3 with row 5, column 4. This puts I in place.
- Swap row 5, column 4 with row 6, column 3. This puts O and E in place.
- Swap row 4, column 7 with row 5, column 3. This puts H in place.
- Swap row 4, column 7 with row 5, column 5. This puts O and L in place.
What do the words in #36 mean?
- CONVERT
- verb: change from one system to another or to a new plan or policy
- ANIMATE
- verb: heighten or intensify
- SCHOLAR
- noun: a learned person (especially in the humanities)
- STRATUM
- noun: one of several parallel layers of material arranged one on top of another (such as a layer of tissue or cells in an organism or a layer of sedimentary rock)
- CHASSIS
- noun: alternative names for the body of a human being
- NEITHER
- adjective: not either
- EPAULET
- noun: adornment consisting of an ornamental cloth pad worn on the shoulder
- THEOREM
- noun: a proposition deducible from basic postulates
Word meanings come from WordNet 3.1, a free English dictionary from Princeton University. Puzzle published Sunday, April 5, 2026.