Waffle Solver

Waffle is a daily word puzzle where six five-letter words (three across, three down) have been scrambled — all the correct letters are present in the grid, just not in the right positions. Green tiles are already correct and should not be moved. Yellow tiles are in the right word but the wrong position within that word. White tiles belong to a completely different word and need to be swapped elsewhere. Your goal is to solve all six words in as few swaps as possible, with the best score awarded for solving in five swaps or fewer. Enter all letters currently showing in your Waffle grid — including the green ones already in correct positions — and hit Solve to see valid word candidates for each of the six slots, which you can then use to plan your swap sequence.

Disclaimer: PuzzleUnlock is an independent puzzle help site and is not affiliated with The New York Times, Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, Strands, Scrabble, Hasbro, Boggle, or any other puzzle publisher. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.

About Waffle

Waffle is a daily word puzzle created by James Robinson that launched in January 2022, inspired by the success of Wordle. The game gained rapid popularity in the word puzzle community within weeks of launch and has maintained a loyal daily following. Robinson developed the puzzle as a creative extension of the word grid concept — taking Wordle's color feedback system and applying it to a two-dimensional grid of interconnected words rather than a single linear guess.

The puzzle presents a 5×5 grid in a distinctive pattern — five filled rows and columns intersecting in a waffle-like arrangement — where six five-letter words (three Across, three Down) have had their letters scrambled. All correct letters are present in the grid; none are missing. Players must determine where each letter belongs and execute swaps to sort every word into its correct form. Green letters are in correct positions. Yellow letters are in the right word but wrong position. White letters belong to a different word entirely.

The challenge is inherently different from Wordle or Crossword solving. Rather than recalling or deducing words from clues or constraints, Waffle requires spatial reasoning about how letter movements affect multiple words simultaneously. Moving a letter to fix one Across word may disrupt a Down word. The optimal solution uses the minimum number of swaps, with maximum points awarded for solving in five swaps or fewer. This optimization aspect makes Waffle more puzzle-like and less trivia-dependent than most word games.

Waffle is available at wafflegame.net and offers standard and Deluxe variants. The Deluxe version uses a larger 7×7 grid with more words. The game also offers unlimited practice puzzles beyond the daily challenge. Waffle has been praised by puzzle enthusiasts for being one of the more original Wordle variants — genuinely different in mechanics rather than simply adding boards or changing the word length.

Green letters are already in their correct positions — never move them. Map all green positions at the start and treat those cells as fixed. Every swap must work around confirmed greens, not through them.

The nine intersection cells (where an Across word meets a Down word) must be correct for both words. A letter at an intersection must be the right letter for position X in the Across word AND position Y in the Down word simultaneously. Resolve intersections first — they're the most constrained positions.

Waffle rewards players who plan two or three swaps ahead. A swap that fixes one letter may displace another. Before executing any swap, trace its consequences for adjacent words and intersections. The best solutions often involve swap chains where each swap improves the overall position even if it temporarily disrupts one word.

White letters are in the completely wrong word — they need to move to a different word. When you identify white letters, think about which word they might belong to and what swap sequence moves them there most efficiently. White letters often indicate that two different words have exchanged letters between them.

Identify and protect green letters first

Intersection cells are the hardest to resolve

Plan multi-swap chains before executing

White letters are the most flexible

Q: How many letters are in a standard Waffle grid?

The standard Waffle has 21 active cells — all letters from three 5-letter Across words and three 5-letter Down words, with shared intersection letters. The total grid is 5×5 but only 21 cells are active (corners and alternating cells are empty).

Q: What is the maximum score in Waffle?

Maximum score is achieved by solving the puzzle in exactly 5 swaps — the fewest possible for most configurations. Each swap beyond 5 reduces the final score. Some puzzles have solutions achievable in fewer than 5 swaps, which award bonus points.

Q: Is there a daily Waffle puzzle?

Yes — a new Waffle puzzle publishes every day at wafflegame.net. The site also offers unlimited practice puzzles for additional play. Deluxe Waffle (larger grid) and other variants are available for players who want a greater challenge.

Q: Can the solver provide the complete swap sequence?

PuzzleUnlock's Waffle solver identifies the valid words for each of the six grid positions. Use the word candidates to determine what each final word should be, then plan your swap sequence to achieve those six words in minimum moves.

Q: What if I can't figure out a Down word?

Enter the letters currently in that Down word's column (including their colors) into PuzzleUnlock. The solver shows valid five-letter words containing those letters — use green letters as fixed positions and yellow letters as present-but-misplaced constraints.