Daily Waffle #77 answers and hints
Need a nudge on the Saturday, May 16, 2026 grid? Start with one clue. Nothing else shows until you tap it.
The starting grid for #77
6 words hide in this 5×5 grid. You get 15 swaps, and the best solve takes 10.
Want one more try first? Play #77.
Hints for each word in #77
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: an acute but unspecific feeling of anxiety
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with A and ends with T.
Show the word
ANGST
Word 2: the middle row (row 3)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: a painful and involuntary muscular contraction
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with S and ends with M.
Show the word
SPASM
Word 3: the bottom row (row 5)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: the act of taking something from someone unlawfully
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with T and ends with T.
Show the word
THEFT
Word 4: the left column (column 1)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: a useful or valuable quality
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with A and ends with T.
Show the word
ASSET
Word 5: the middle column (column 3)
Hint 1: the clue
noun: death of a person
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with G and ends with E.
Show the word
GRAVE
Word 6: the right column (column 5)
Hint 1: the clue
verb: dispose or incline or entice to
Hint 2: first and last letter
It starts with T and ends with T.
Show the word
TEMPT
What is the answer to Waffle #77?
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: ANGST, SPASM, THEFT
Down: ASSET, GRAVE, TEMPT
How do you solve #77 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
- Swap row 1, column 1 with row 3, column 5. This puts A and M in place.
- Swap row 1, column 4 with row 1, column 5. This puts S and T in place.
- Swap row 2, column 5 with row 5, column 4. This puts E and F in place.
- Swap row 3, column 1 with row 5, column 1. This puts S and T in place.
- Swap row 1, column 2 with row 4, column 1. This puts N in place.
- Swap row 4, column 1 with row 4, column 5. This puts E and P in place.
- Swap row 2, column 1 with row 5, column 2. This puts H in place.
- Swap row 2, column 1 with row 5, column 3. This puts S and E in place.
- Swap row 3, column 4 with row 4, column 3. This puts V in place.
- Swap row 3, column 4 with row 5, column 5. This puts S and T in place.
What do the words in #77 mean?
- ANGST
- noun: an acute but unspecific feeling of anxiety
- SPASM
- noun: a painful and involuntary muscular contraction
- THEFT
- noun: the act of taking something from someone unlawfully
- ASSET
- noun: a useful or valuable quality
- GRAVE
- noun: death of a person
- TEMPT
- verb: dispose or incline or entice to
Word meanings come from WordNet 3.1, a free English dictionary from Princeton University. Puzzle published Saturday, May 16, 2026.