Daily Waffle #45 answers and hints
Need a nudge on the Tuesday, April 14, 2026 grid? Start with one clue. Nothing else shows until you tap it.
The starting grid for #45
6 words hide in this 5×5 grid. You get 15 swaps, and the best solve takes 10.
Want one more try first? Play #45.
Hints for each word in #45
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 top row (row 1)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with L and ends with L.
Show the word
LEVEL
Word 2: the middle row (row 3)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: any admirable quality or attribute
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with M and ends with T.
Show the word
MERIT
Word 3: the bottom row (row 5)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: a daughter of your brother or sister
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with N and ends with E.
Show the word
NIECE
Word 4: the left column (column 1)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: yellow oval fruit with juicy acidic flesh
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with L and ends with N.
Show the word
LEMON
Word 5: the middle column (column 3)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: an energetic style
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with V and ends with E.
Show the word
VERVE
Word 6: the right column (column 5)
Hint 1: the clue
adjective: gracefully thin and bending and moving with ease
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with L and ends with E.
Show the word
LITHE
What is the answer to Waffle #45?
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: LEVEL, MERIT, NIECE
Down: LEMON, VERVE, LITHE
How do you solve #45 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
- Swap row 2, column 1 with row 3, column 5. This puts E and T in place.
- Swap row 3, column 1 with row 5, column 3. This puts M and E in place.
- Swap row 1, column 1 with row 3, column 3. This puts R in place.
- Swap row 1, column 1 with row 3, column 4. This puts L and I in place.
- Swap row 1, column 2 with row 2, column 5. This puts E in place.
- Swap row 2, column 5 with row 4, column 5. This puts I and H in place.
- Swap row 1, column 3 with row 4, column 1. This puts O in place.
- Swap row 1, column 3 with row 5, column 2. This puts V and I in place.
- Swap row 1, column 5 with row 5, column 1. This puts N in place.
- Swap row 1, column 5 with row 5, column 4. This puts L and C in place.
What do the words in #45 mean?
- LEVEL
- noun: a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
- MERIT
- noun: any admirable quality or attribute
- NIECE
- noun: a daughter of your brother or sister
- LEMON
- noun: yellow oval fruit with juicy acidic flesh
- VERVE
- noun: an energetic style
- LITHE
- adjective: gracefully thin and bending and moving with ease
Word meanings come from WordNet 3.1, a free English dictionary from Princeton University. Puzzle published Tuesday, April 14, 2026.