Skip to content
Waffle Daily

Daily Waffle #186 answers and hints

Need a nudge on the Wednesday, September 2, 2026 grid? Start with one clue. Nothing else shows until you tap it.

The starting grid for #186

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

Want one more try first? Play #186.

Hints for each word in #186

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: having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with A and ends with T.

    Show the word

    ADEPT

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

    Hint 1: the clue

    noun: a light shade of blue

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with A and ends with E.

    Show the word

    AZURE

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

    Hint 1: the clue

    noun: a single splash

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with S and ends with T.

    Show the word

    SPLAT

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

    Hint 1: the clue

    verb: collect or gather

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with A and ends with S.

    Show the word

    AMASS

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

    Hint 1: the clue

    verb: be identical or equivalent to

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with E and ends with L.

    Show the word

    EQUAL

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

    Hint 1: the clue

    noun: a weak chirping sound as of a small bird

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with T and ends with T.

    Show the word

    TWEET

What is the answer to Waffle #186?

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: ADEPT, AZURE, SPLAT

Down: AMASS, EQUAL, TWEET

How do you solve #186 in 10 swaps?

Make the swaps that fix two tiles at once first. This grid has 5 of them. The list below is one shortest route from the start to the answer.

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

What do the words in #186 mean?

ADEPT
adjective: having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude
AZURE
noun: a light shade of blue
SPLAT
noun: a single splash
AMASS
verb: collect or gather
EQUAL
verb: be identical or equivalent to
TWEET
noun: a weak chirping sound as of a small bird

Word meanings come from WordNet 3.1, a free English dictionary from Princeton University. Puzzle published Wednesday, September 2, 2026.