Yesterday's Waffle Answer
Stuck on puzzle #1,753? Waffle hides 6 words in one 5x5 grid, swap two letters at a time to sort them out. Take the hints one rung at a time, or jump straight to all six words. Nothing spoils until you tap.
Hints, one clue at a time
Welcome back, puzzler. Waffle #1,753 for Monday, November 9, 2026 is live: 6 five-letter words woven into one grid, and today's starting layout needs 7 swaps to solve (par is 10, the max is 15).
Here's how this page works: the five hints below start at the corners where words cross and end with the word most likely to eat your swaps, so reveal them one at a time and stop the moment something clicks. All 6 words sit in the pink box further down, locked behind a tap. Nothing here reveals itself on its own, not a crossing letter and not one of the six words.
Corners first, then the word most likely to cost you swaps.
Drumroll, please…
Waffle Answer for November 9
Spoiler below · tap to revealAcross
Row 1
Row 3
Row 5
Down
Column 1
Column 3
Column 5
Tap a tile to reveal one letter at a time, or show all six words.
About yesterday's board
The 9 crossing letters: Row 1 × Column 1 is S, Row 1 × Column 3 is I, Row 1 × Column 5 is F, Row 3 × Column 1 is U, Row 3 × Column 3 is B, Row 3 × Column 5 is N, Row 5 × Column 1 is D, Row 5 × Column 3 is E, Row 5 × Column 5 is L.
Row 1: Very hard, Row 3: Medium, Row 5: Very hard, Column 1: Medium, Column 3: Medium, Column 5: Easy. Row 1 is the one most likely to slow you down.
Row 1 is worth 15 points, Row 3 is worth 7 points, Row 5 is worth 9 points, Column 1 is worth 6 points, Column 3 is worth 9 points, Column 5 is worth 8 points in Scrabble before any bonus squares.
Puzzle #1,753, published Monday, November 9, 2026, solved in 7 swaps out of a 15-swap max.
What today's six words mean
a small flat-bottomed open boat with a pointed bow and square stern.
“It's not really a batmobile sort of situation, Alfred; I'll just row the skiff over there and see what all the bother is about.”
Related to the (or any) city.
“I've found the Urban Dictionary, but can’t seem to find the Rural Dictionary anywhere.”
To live; to reside.
“I am fully resolved to dwell here until my old age; if they let me stay past closing time.”
A sensation perceived by the ear caused by the vibration of air or some other medium.
“If you want to know the secret of making your guitar sound better; stay tuned.”
In general, to act in a way which results in an object becoming completely permeated or impregnated by some quality.
“Employers have been using "Waffle Hour" to imbue a sense of camaraderie within their team.”
Last; ultimate; conclusive; decisive.
“The final of our barbecue competition will be on the roof terrace; the steaks have never been higher.”
Waffle strategy that actually helps
Proven habits from top solvers, useful today and every day.
A green tile is already in its correct spot. Never spend a swap on one, mentally set it aside and focus on the white letters that still need to move.
The 9 crossing cells belong to two words at once, so getting them right early clears ambiguity in both directions and tends to cascade into fast progress elsewhere.
A yellow letter belongs somewhere in that word, just not there yet. Look for its correct slot in the same row or column rather than swapping it across the grid.
Pick whichever word already has the most green letters and lock it in first. That often resolves several crossing cells in the words around it for free.
A wasted swap moves a letter somewhere that still isn't its final home. Before tapping, check that both letters you're trading are headed to their actual destinations.
The game allows up to 15 swaps, but a clean solve usually lands closer to 10. If you're creeping toward 15, stop chasing a perfect score and just finish the grid.
How we rate each word's difficulty
Each of the 6 words is scored the same way we score Wordle: how common its letters are in everyday English, whether any letter repeats, and whether its ending follows a familiar pattern. The toughest word on any given day is the one most likely to cost you extra swaps.
An everyday word with a common pattern. Most solvers spot it fast.
A word you know, but not the first one you'd guess.
Uncommon letters or a repeated one. Expect it to eat extra swaps.
Obscure vocabulary or a cruel letter pattern. This is where stars are lost.
How to play Waffle
The rules in full, for anyone arriving without them.
Waffle is a five by five grid shaped like its namesake, holding six five-letter words: three across and three down. Every letter is already on the board, just in the wrong place, so you solve it by swapping letters rather than guessing words.
- 1 Read the colors before you touch anything
Green means the letter is already home. Yellow means it belongs in that word but in a different square. White means it belongs somewhere else entirely.
- 2 Swap any two letters
Tap one letter and then another to trade their positions. Green letters should never move.
- 3 Fix the crossing squares first
Nine squares belong to two words at once, so placing one correctly resolves letters in both directions.
- 4 Solve it in fifteen swaps or fewer
Fifteen is the hard limit and every puzzle can be solved in ten. Each swap left unused earns a star, so a perfect game is five stars.
Waffle, an independent puzzle at wafflegame.net
5 by 5 waffle grid, 6 words, 9 crossing squares
15 swaps
Midnight in your local timezone
A yellow letter in Waffle means the right word, wrong square, which is far more specific than a yellow in Wordle. Move it within its own row or column instead of sending it across the grid.
Waffle, answered
Quick answers to the questions we get every day.
What time does the new Waffle come out?
Waffle resets at midnight in your local timezone, wherever you are. If the puzzle number in the hero matches the one above your grid, the six words below are today's.
Is Waffle an NYT game?
No. Waffle is made independently and lives at wafflegame.net, separate from the NYT games lineup.
How many swaps do I get?
You get 15 swaps to solve the grid. Fewer swaps earns more stars, and a clean solve usually lands around 10, which is why we call that par.
Can I play past Waffle puzzles?
Waffle doesn't offer an official archive. Our past answers table below carries all six words for each grid we have covered.
What do the stars in Waffle mean?
Stars are what you have left over. Every grid is solvable in a set minimum number of swaps, you are given fifteen, and each unused swap above the minimum becomes a star, up to five. Finishing on the fifteenth swap still counts as a solve, it just scores zero stars and breaks a star streak rather than a solve streak.
Waffle guides
Longer reads for getting better, beyond today's puzzle.
- Games Like Waffle: Swap, Anagram and Grid Word PuzzlesIf Waffle's swap-the-letters puzzle is your favorite daily habit, these anagram, ladder and grid word games use the same skills. Plus tips for fewer swaps.
- Waffle Strategy Guide: How to Solve It in Fewer SwapsWaffle hands you every letter and asks you to put them in place. Plan your swaps so each one fixes two letters and you finish well inside the 15-swap limit.
Today's hints for every game
Same spoiler-safe format, for each daily puzzle we cover.
Past Waffle answers
Recent Waffle answers from the last two weeks, with all 6 words for each day. Use it to check a day you missed or settle an argument about a past grid. Today's six words stay blurred until you tap them.
| Date | Puzzle | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 10 | #1,754 | BICEP, BAKED, KNOWN, CHOIR, DIRGE, PENNE |
| Nov 09Today | #1,753 | SKIFF, SOUND, URBAN, IMBUE, DWELL, FINAL |
| Nov 08 | #1,752 | LANCE, LEMUR, MAMBO, NOMAD, RIDGE, ELOPE |
| Nov 07 | #1,751 | BINGE, BASIL, SALVO, NYLON, LANKY, EPOXY |
| Nov 06 | #1,750 | LOFTY, LASER, SHINE, FLING, RIGID, YIELD |
| Nov 05 | #1,749 | TOOTH, THORN, OLDER, ORDER, NURSE, HORDE |
| Nov 04 | #1,748 | OLIVE, OTTER, TAPER, IMPEL, RULER, ERROR |
| Nov 03 | #1,747 | FLUME, FIRST, RHINO, URINE, THESE, EVOKE |
| Nov 02 | #1,746 | BOSOM, BLAND, ALTAR, SATIN, DENSE, MERGE |
| Nov 01 | #1,745 | ROVER, RUDER, DEIGN, VYING, REGAL, RENAL |
| Oct 31 | #1,744 | TUBER, TENET, NERDY, BURST, TITLE, RHYME |
| Oct 30 | #1,743 | SNORE, SWIFT, INGOT, OUGHT, TOTAL, EXTOL |
| Oct 29 | #1,742 | QUOTA, QUALM, ASHEN, OTHER, MERRY, ANNOY |
| Oct 28 | #1,741 | THANK, TEPID, PAGER, ANGEL, DELTA, KARMA |