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Waffle Daily

Daily Waffle #86 answers and hints

Need a nudge on the Monday, May 25, 2026 grid? Start with one clue. Nothing else shows until you tap it.

The starting grid for #86

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

Want one more try first? Play #86.

Hints for each word in #86

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: a United States bill worth 5 dollars

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with F and ends with R.

    Show the word

    FIVER

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

    Hint 1: the clue

    noun: a special situation

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with T and ends with G.

    Show the word

    THING

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

    Hint 1: the clue

    noun: the action of an armed force that surrounds a fortified place and isolates it while continuing to attack

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with S and ends with E.

    Show the word

    SIEGE

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

    Hint 1: the clue

    noun: an unborn or unhatched vertebrate in the later stages of development showing the main recognizable features of the mature animal

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with F and ends with S.

    Show the word

    FETUS

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

    Hint 1: the clue

    noun: the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with V and ends with E.

    Show the word

    VOICE

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

    Hint 1: the clue

    noun: a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with R and ends with E.

    Show the word

    ROGUE

What is the answer to Waffle #86?

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: FIVER, THING, SIEGE

Down: FETUS, VOICE, ROGUE

How do you solve #86 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
  1. Swap row 1, column 4 with row 5, column 4. This puts E and G in place.
  2. Swap row 3, column 1 with row 4, column 5. This puts T and U in place.
  3. Swap row 3, column 2 with row 3, column 3. This puts H and I in place.
  4. Swap row 1, column 1 with row 2, column 1. This puts F in place.
  5. Swap row 2, column 1 with row 2, column 5. This puts E and O in place.
  6. Swap row 1, column 2 with row 1, column 5. This puts I in place.
  7. Swap row 1, column 5 with row 5, column 1. This puts R and S in place.
  8. Swap row 2, column 3 with row 3, column 5. This puts O in place.
  9. Swap row 3, column 5 with row 4, column 1. This puts U in place.
  10. Swap row 3, column 5 with row 5, column 5. This puts G and E in place.

What do the words in #86 mean?

FIVER
noun: a United States bill worth 5 dollars
THING
noun: a special situation
SIEGE
noun: the action of an armed force that surrounds a fortified place and isolates it while continuing to attack
FETUS
noun: an unborn or unhatched vertebrate in the later stages of development showing the main recognizable features of the mature animal
VOICE
noun: the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
ROGUE
noun: a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel

Word meanings come from WordNet 3.1, a free English dictionary from Princeton University. Puzzle published Monday, May 25, 2026.