Daily Waffle #188 answers and hints

Need a nudge on the Friday, September 4, 2026 grid? Start with one clue. Nothing else shows until you tap it.

EKHNAPWOGINLOSAASRSGY

The starting grid for #188

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

Want one more try first? Play #188.

Hints for each word in #188

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: electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with P and ends with E.
Show the word
PHONE
Word 2: the middle row (row 3)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: a bar or pair of parallel bars of rolled steel making the railway along which railroad cars or other vehicles can roll
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with R and ends with S.
Show the word
RAILS
Word 3: the bottom row (row 5)
Hint 1: the clue
adjective: (of soil) soft and watery
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with S and ends with Y.
Show the word
SOGGY
Word 4: the left column (column 1)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: United States civil rights leader who refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery (Alabama) and so triggered the national Civil Rights movement (born in 1913)
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with P and ends with S.
Show the word
PARKS
Word 5: the middle column (column 3)
Hint 1: the clue
adjective: owed as a debt
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with O and ends with G.
Show the word
OWING
Word 6: the right column (column 5)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: an analytic or interpretive literary composition
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with E and ends with Y.
Show the word
ESSAY

What is the answer to Waffle #188?

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

PHONEAWSRAILSKNASOGGY

Across: PHONE, RAILS, SOGGY

Down: PARKS, OWING, ESSAY

How do you solve #188 in 10 swaps?

Make the swaps that fix two tiles at once first. This grid has 4 of them. The list below is one shortest route from the start to the answer.

Show every swap

Swap row 1, column 1 with row 1, column 5. This puts E in place.
Swap row 1, column 1 with row 2, column 1. This puts P and A in place.
Swap row 1, column 2 with row 1, column 3. This puts H in place.
Swap row 1, column 3 with row 2, column 5. This puts O in place.
Swap row 2, column 5 with row 4, column 1. This puts S and K in place.
Swap row 3, column 1 with row 5, column 2. This puts R in place.
Swap row 3, column 2 with row 3, column 3. This puts I in place.
Swap row 3, column 2 with row 4, column 3. This puts A and N in place.
Swap row 3, column 5 with row 5, column 2. This puts O in place.
Swap row 3, column 5 with row 5, column 3. This puts S and G in place.

What do the words in #188 mean?

PHONE: noun: electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
RAILS: noun: a bar or pair of parallel bars of rolled steel making the railway along which railroad cars or other vehicles can roll
SOGGY: adjective: (of soil) soft and watery
PARKS: noun: United States civil rights leader who refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery (Alabama) and so triggered the national Civil Rights movement (born in 1913)
OWING: adjective: owed as a debt
ESSAY: noun: an analytic or interpretive literary composition

Word meanings come from WordNet 3.1, a free English dictionary from Princeton University. Puzzle published Friday, September 4, 2026.