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Daily Word Grid #2: September 25, 2026

The daily word grid from September 25, 2026 (#2): how it started, the answer, and one way to solve it in 10 swaps.

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The starting grid

Green tiles start in the right place; yellow ones belong elsewhere in their row or column; gray ones are not needed in their row or column.

Clues for the six words

Top row: a clue

an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control:

Its first letter

S

The word

SCOPE

Middle row: a clue

the beginning or early stages

Its first letter

O

The word

ONSET

Bottom row: a clue

an analytic or interpretive literary composition

Its first letter

E

The word

ESSAY

Left column: a clue

stir up or tend; of a fire

Its first letter

S

The word

STOKE

Middle column: a clue

a fertile tract in a desert (where the water table approaches the surface)

Its first letter

O

The word

OASIS

Right column: a clue

an item inserted in a written record

Its first letter

E

The word

ENTRY

The answer

Across: SCOPE, ONSET, ESSAY. Down: STOKE, OASIS, ENTRY.

A 10-swap solution

One of the shortest ways, starting from the grid above (rows and columns counted from the top left):

  1. Swap S (row 2, column 5) with N (row 3, column 3)
  2. Swap K (row 3, column 4) with E (row 4, column 1)
  3. Swap O (row 1, column 1) with S (row 2, column 1)
  4. Swap O (row 2, column 1) with T (row 3, column 1)
  5. Swap O (row 1, column 2) with C (row 2, column 3)
  6. Swap A (row 1, column 3) with O (row 2, column 3)
  7. Swap I (row 1, column 4) with P (row 5, column 2)
  8. Swap Y (row 4, column 3) with I (row 5, column 2)
  9. Swap S (row 5, column 1) with E (row 5, column 5)
  10. Swap Y (row 5, column 2) with S (row 5, column 5)

Frequently asked questions

What were the words in grid #2?

Across: SCOPE, ONSET, ESSAY. Down: STOKE, OASIS, ENTRY.

Can it really be solved in 10 swaps?

Yes. Every grid is checked so that its shortest solution is exactly 10 swaps. You get 15, and each one you save is a star.

When does the next grid come out?

Every day at midnight Eastern Time (New York). Everyone gets the same grid that day.

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