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Waffle Daily

Daily Waffle #16 answers and hints

Need a nudge on the Monday, March 16, 2026 grid? Start with one clue. Nothing else shows until you tap it.

The starting grid for #16

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

Want one more try first? Play #16.

Hints for each word in #16

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

    noun: makeup consisting of a pink or red powder applied to the cheeks

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with R and ends with E.

    Show the word

    ROUGE

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

    Hint 1: the clue

    noun: the greatest possible degree of something

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with L and ends with T.

    Show the word

    LIMIT

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

    Hint 1: the clue

    noun: person who makes a gift of property

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with D and ends with R.

    Show the word

    DONOR

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

    Hint 1: the clue

    adjective: subject to a ruling authority

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with R and ends with D.

    Show the word

    RULED

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

    Hint 1: the clue

    verb: cause to lose one's nerve

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with U and ends with N.

    Show the word

    UNMAN

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

    Hint 1: the clue

    verb: to come or go into

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with E and ends with R.

    Show the word

    ENTER

What is the answer to Waffle #16?

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: ROUGE, LIMIT, DONOR

Down: RULED, UNMAN, ENTER

How do you solve #16 in 10 swaps?

Make the swaps that fix two tiles at once first. This grid has 7 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 U and D in place.
  2. Swap row 1, column 4 with row 2, column 3. This puts G and N in place.
  3. Swap row 3, column 3 with row 4, column 5. This puts M and E in place.
  4. Swap row 4, column 3 with row 5, column 3. This puts A and N in place.
  5. Swap row 1, column 2 with row 1, column 5. This puts E in place.
  6. Swap row 1, column 2 with row 3, column 2. This puts O and I in place.
  7. Swap row 2, column 5 with row 4, column 1. This puts N in place.
  8. Swap row 4, column 1 with row 5, column 4. This puts E and O in place.
  9. Swap row 3, column 5 with row 5, column 2. This puts T in place.
  10. Swap row 5, column 2 with row 5, column 5. This puts O and R in place.

What do the words in #16 mean?

ROUGE
noun: makeup consisting of a pink or red powder applied to the cheeks
LIMIT
noun: the greatest possible degree of something
DONOR
noun: person who makes a gift of property
RULED
adjective: subject to a ruling authority
UNMAN
verb: cause to lose one's nerve
ENTER
verb: to come or go into

Word meanings come from WordNet 3.1, a free English dictionary from Princeton University. Puzzle published Monday, March 16, 2026.