Deluxe Waffle #98 answers and hints
Need a nudge on the Saturday, June 6, 2026 grid? Start with one clue. Nothing else shows until you tap it.
The starting grid for #98
8 words hide in this 7×7 grid. You get 25 swaps, and the best solve takes 20.
Want one more try first? Play #98.
Hints for each word in #98
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: becoming gradually narrower
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with T and ends with D.
Show the word
TAPERED
Word 2: the second row (row 3)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: something contrived to meet an urgent need or emergency
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with S and ends with P.
Show the word
STOPGAP
Word 3: the third row (row 5)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: an instinctive motive
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with I and ends with E.
Show the word
IMPULSE
Word 4: the fourth row (row 7)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: food that is discarded (as from a kitchen)
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with G and ends with E.
Show the word
GARBAGE
Word 5: the first column (column 1)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: the act of subjecting to experimental test in order to determine how well something works
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with T and ends with G.
Show the word
TESTING
Word 6: the second column (column 3)
Hint 1: the clue
verb: make steady progress
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with P and ends with R.
Show the word
PROSPER
Word 7: the third column (column 5)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: paraphernalia indicative of royalty (or other high office)
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with R and ends with A.
Show the word
REGALIA
Word 8: the fourth column (column 7)
Hint 1: the clue
verb: use up (resources or materials)
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with D and ends with E.
Show the word
DEPLETE
What is the answer to Deluxe #98?
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: TAPERED, STOPGAP, IMPULSE, GARBAGE
Down: TESTING, PROSPER, REGALIA, DEPLETE
How do you solve #98 in 20 swaps?
Make the swaps that fix two tiles at once first. This grid has 12 of them. The list below is one shortest route from the start to the answer.
Show every swap
- Swap row 1, column 6 with row 2, column 3. This puts E and R in place.
- Swap row 1, column 7 with row 5, column 7. This puts D and E in place.
- Swap row 2, column 5 with row 5, column 2. This puts E and M in place.
- Swap row 2, column 7 with row 7, column 1. This puts E and G in place.
- Swap row 4, column 7 with row 6, column 1. This puts L and N in place.
- Swap row 5, column 1 with row 5, column 4. This puts I and U in place.
- Swap row 1, column 1 with row 3, column 3. This puts O in place.
- Swap row 1, column 1 with row 4, column 3. This puts T in place.
- Swap row 4, column 3 with row 4, column 5. This puts S and A in place.
- Swap row 1, column 4 with row 5, column 5. This puts L in place.
- Swap row 1, column 4 with row 7, column 5. This puts E and A in place.
- Swap row 3, column 1 with row 6, column 3. This puts S in place.
- Swap row 6, column 3 with row 6, column 5. This puts E and I in place.
- Swap row 3, column 5 with row 4, column 1. This puts G in place.
- Swap row 3, column 6 with row 3, column 7. This puts A in place.
- Swap row 3, column 7 with row 7, column 3. This puts P and R in place.
- Swap row 4, column 1 with row 5, column 3. This puts P in place.
- Swap row 4, column 1 with row 7, column 7. This puts T and E in place.
- Swap row 5, column 6 with row 6, column 7. This puts T in place.
- Swap row 5, column 6 with row 7, column 6. This puts S and G in place.
What do the words in #98 mean?
- TAPERED
- adjective: becoming gradually narrower
- STOPGAP
- noun: something contrived to meet an urgent need or emergency
- IMPULSE
- noun: an instinctive motive
- GARBAGE
- noun: food that is discarded (as from a kitchen)
- TESTING
- noun: the act of subjecting to experimental test in order to determine how well something works
- PROSPER
- verb: make steady progress
- REGALIA
- noun: paraphernalia indicative of royalty (or other high office)
- DEPLETE
- verb: use up (resources or materials)
Word meanings come from WordNet 3.1, a free English dictionary from Princeton University. Puzzle published Saturday, June 6, 2026.