Squareword Hints & Answer for Today
A 4×4 grid with a few letters given. Three graded hints, then the complete word square behind a reveal — free, one solution, unlimited levels.
Today's Squareword — October 9, 2026 · Puzzle #1013. The grid below shows only the letters that are given in the game, then three hints, then the finished word square behind a reveal.
New puzzle every day at midnight US Eastern. Same grid for everyone.
Today's grid (givens only)
7 of the 16 squares are already filled in. You supply the other 9 so that all four rows and all four columns are real words.
Hints (open one at a time)
Hint 1 — how much is given
7 of the 16 squares are already filled in, so you only have to find 9 letters.
Hint 2 — one extra square
Row 1, column 4 is R.
Hint 3 — the top row
The top row reads NEAR.
Answer — today's full word square
Across: NEAR · EDGE · AGES · REST. Down: NEAR · EDGE · AGES · REST.
How these Squareword hints work
A word square is solved in two directions at once, so a bad letter does double damage — it ruins a row and a column. Our hints work the same way: the first tells you how much is given so you know how much freedom you have, the second reveals one extra square in the tightest corner, and the third reads out the top row. Together they cut the search space without handing you the grid.
Every Squareword puzzle is generated so the given letters leave exactly one valid word square. If your grid has four real rows and four real columns, it is the answer — there is no lucky alternative to worry about.
Quick strategy
- Start where the givens are densest — the most constrained corner falls first.
- Before typing a letter, check what it does to the column as well as the row.
- List candidate words for your most complete line, then test their letters against the crossing lines.
- Reject anything nobody would write — real grids are built from everyday words.
▶ Play Squareword free Full rules & strategy
Related: Clueword hints today · Chainword hints today · Logic puzzles · All word games
Frequently asked questions
What is today's Squareword answer? Today's grid is NEAR / EDGE / AGES / REST — four words across that also read as four words down.
How many letters are given today? 7 of the 16 squares, so 9 letters are yours to find.
Can there be two solutions? No — every puzzle is verified to have exactly one valid word square.
When is the next puzzle? At midnight US Eastern, every day.