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Waffle Daily

Daily Waffle #174 answers and hints

Need a nudge on the Friday, August 21, 2026 grid? Start with one clue. Nothing else shows until you tap it.

The starting grid for #174

6 words hide in this 5×5 grid. You get 15 swaps, and the best solve takes 10.

Want one more try first? Play #174.

Hints for each word in #174

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.

  1. Word 1: the top row (row 1)

    Hint 1: the clue

    adjective: showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with D and ends with N.

    Show the word

    DRAWN

  2. Word 2: the middle row (row 3)

    Hint 1: the clue

    adjective: slightly wet

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with M and ends with T.

    Show the word

    MOIST

  3. Word 3: the bottom row (row 5)

    Hint 1: the clue

    adjective: full of seeds

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with S and ends with Y.

    Show the word

    SEEDY

  4. Word 4: the left column (column 1)

    Hint 1: the clue

    noun: an informal expression for a mildly depressed state

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with D and ends with S.

    Show the word

    DUMPS

  5. Word 5: the middle column (column 3)

    Hint 1: the clue

    verb: dwell

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with A and ends with E.

    Show the word

    ABIDE

  6. Word 6: the right column (column 5)

    Hint 1: the clue

    adjective: marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with N and ends with Y.

    Show the word

    NATTY

What is the answer to Waffle #174?

The answer is 6 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: DRAWN, MOIST, SEEDY

Down: DUMPS, ABIDE, NATTY

How do you solve #174 in 10 swaps?

Make the swaps that fix two tiles at once first. This grid has 6 of them. The list below is one shortest route from the start to the answer.

Show every swap
  1. Swap row 1, column 1 with row 1, column 2. This puts D and R in place.
  2. Swap row 3, column 1 with row 3, column 5. This puts M and T in place.
  3. Swap row 5, column 1 with row 5, column 4. This puts S and D in place.
  4. Swap row 1, column 3 with row 3, column 2. This puts A in place.
  5. Swap row 3, column 2 with row 4, column 5. This puts O and T in place.
  6. Swap row 1, column 4 with row 2, column 1. This puts W in place.
  7. Swap row 2, column 1 with row 2, column 5. This puts U and A in place.
  8. Swap row 3, column 3 with row 4, column 1. This puts I in place.
  9. Swap row 4, column 1 with row 5, column 2. This puts P in place.
  10. Swap row 5, column 2 with row 5, column 5. This puts E and Y in place.

What do the words in #174 mean?

DRAWN
adjective: showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
MOIST
adjective: slightly wet
SEEDY
adjective: full of seeds
DUMPS
noun: an informal expression for a mildly depressed state
ABIDE
verb: dwell
NATTY
adjective: marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners

Word meanings come from WordNet 3.1, a free English dictionary from Princeton University. Puzzle published Friday, August 21, 2026.