Infinite Wordplay › Grid › Archive › #9
Daily Word Grid #9: October 2, 2026
Stuck on today's grid? Start with a clue for each word; the letters and the answer only show when you open them. Give the daily grid another go first.
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
the state of having committed an offense
Its first letter
G
The word
GUILT
Middle row: a clue
a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes
Its first letter
O
The word
OPERA
Bottom row: a clue
a mixture of sulfides that forms when sulfide metal ores are smelted
Its first letter
M
The word
MATTE
Left column: a clue
a state of partial or total darkness
Its first letter
G
The word
GLOOM
Middle column: a clue
unable to move or resist motion
Its first letter
I
The word
INERT
Right column: a clue
the commercial exchange (buying and selling on domestic or international markets) of goods and services
Its first letter
T
The word
TRADE
Today's answer
Show the answer
Across: GUILT, OPERA, MATTE. Down: GLOOM, INERT, TRADE.
A 10-swap solution
Show the swaps
One of the shortest ways, starting from the grid above (rows and columns counted from the top left):
- Swap M (row 2, column 1) with L (row 5, column 1)
- Swap D (row 3, column 3) with E (row 4, column 5)
- Swap T (row 1, column 2) with U (row 3, column 5)
- Swap T (row 3, column 5) with A (row 5, column 4)
- Swap O (row 1, column 3) with I (row 4, column 3)
- Swap R (row 4, column 1) with O (row 4, column 3)
- Swap E (row 1, column 5) with T (row 3, column 2)
- Swap P (row 2, column 3) with N (row 5, column 2)
- Swap E (row 3, column 2) with P (row 5, column 2)
- Swap E (row 5, column 2) with A (row 5, column 5)
Frequently asked questions
What are the words in grid #9?
Six everyday five-letter words: three across and three down. The top row starts with G and the left column shares that letter. The answer is on this page, folded away.
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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