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Waffle Daily

Daily Waffle #87 answers and hints

Need a nudge on the Tuesday, May 26, 2026 grid? Start with one clue. Nothing else shows until you tap it.

The starting grid for #87

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

Want one more try first? Play #87.

Hints for each word in #87

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: small cold-water silvery fish

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with S and ends with T.

    Show the word

    SMELT

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

    Hint 1: the clue

    noun: a brief description given for purposes of identification

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with L and ends with L.

    Show the word

    LABEL

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

    Hint 1: the clue

    noun: an informal term for a father

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with D and ends with Y.

    Show the word

    DADDY

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

    Hint 1: the clue

    adjective: having a sole or soles especially as specified

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with S and ends with D.

    Show the word

    SOLED

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

    Hint 1: the clue

    verb: fix or set securely or deeply

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with E and ends with D.

    Show the word

    EMBED

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

    Hint 1: the clue

    noun: a score in baseball made by a runner touching all four bases safely

    Hint 2: first and last letter

    It starts with T and ends with Y.

    Show the word

    TALLY

What is the answer to Waffle #87?

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: SMELT, LABEL, DADDY

Down: SOLED, EMBED, TALLY

How do you solve #87 in 10 swaps?

Make the swaps that fix two tiles at once first. This grid has 5 of them. The list below is one shortest route from the start to the answer.

Show every swap
  1. Swap row 3, column 1 with row 5, column 4. This puts L and D in place.
  2. Swap row 1, column 1 with row 1, column 4. This puts L in place.
  3. Swap row 1, column 1 with row 2, column 3. This puts S and M in place.
  4. Swap row 1, column 2 with row 2, column 1. This puts M in place.
  5. Swap row 1, column 5 with row 4, column 5. This puts L in place.
  6. Swap row 1, column 5 with row 5, column 1. This puts T and D in place.
  7. Swap row 2, column 1 with row 2, column 5. This puts A in place.
  8. Swap row 2, column 1 with row 3, column 4. This puts O and E in place.
  9. Swap row 3, column 3 with row 4, column 1. This puts E in place.
  10. Swap row 3, column 3 with row 5, column 3. This puts B and D in place.

What do the words in #87 mean?

SMELT
noun: small cold-water silvery fish
LABEL
noun: a brief description given for purposes of identification
DADDY
noun: an informal term for a father
SOLED
adjective: having a sole or soles especially as specified
EMBED
verb: fix or set securely or deeply
TALLY
noun: a score in baseball made by a runner touching all four bases safely

Word meanings come from WordNet 3.1, a free English dictionary from Princeton University. Puzzle published Tuesday, May 26, 2026.