Infinite Wordplay › Grid › Archive › #23
Daily Word Grid #23: October 16, 2026
The daily word grid from October 16, 2026 (#23): how it started, the answer, and one way to solve it in 10 swaps.
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
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
Its first letter
H
The word
HEARD
Middle row: a clue
a motor hotel
Its first letter
M
The word
MOTEL
Bottom row: a clue
An everyday five-letter word.
Its first letter
N
The word
NERDY
Left column: a clue
characteristic of humanity
Its first letter
H
The word
HUMAN
Middle column: a clue
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
Its first letter
A
The word
ALTER
Right column: a clue
conveyance consisting of a wheeled support on which a camera can be mounted
Its first letter
D
The word
DOLLY
The answer
Across: HEARD, MOTEL, NERDY. Down: HUMAN, ALTER, DOLLY.
A 10-swap solution
One of the shortest ways, starting from the grid above (rows and columns counted from the top left):
- Swap A (row 2, column 3) with L (row 4, column 1)
- Swap R (row 5, column 2) with E (row 5, column 3)
- Swap M (row 1, column 1) with H (row 3, column 5)
- Swap D (row 1, column 3) with A (row 5, column 1)
- Swap D (row 5, column 1) with N (row 5, column 4)
- Swap L (row 2, column 1) with U (row 3, column 1)
- Swap L (row 3, column 1) with M (row 3, column 5)
- Swap Y (row 2, column 5) with O (row 3, column 3)
- Swap Y (row 3, column 3) with T (row 4, column 3)
- Swap Y (row 4, column 3) with E (row 5, column 5)
Frequently asked questions
What were the words in grid #23?
Across: HEARD, MOTEL, NERDY. Down: HUMAN, ALTER, DOLLY.
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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