Spy Sudoku for 9/3/2026: DOWEL

Today's keyword is DOWEL.
Drop "L" and use the remaining letters to solve the 4x4 puzzle.
Add "F" to the keyword to supply the letters to solve the 6x6 puzzle.

Today’s hidden words should be familiar to most players.

-L

DOWEL

+F

Solutions tomorrow morning.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Solutions to yesterday's Spy Sudoku puzzles

Yesterday's Spy Sudoku keyword: LOWED
4x4 (LOWED - E): WOLD
6x6 (LOWED + C): COWLED

Thanks,
--Dave

 

New Word Sudoku Puzzle for Thursday, 9/3/2026

NOT FAME + SIX
10x10 Hidden Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column and 2x5 rectangle contains these letters exactly once
The hidden word spells down the diagonal

Solution first thing in the morning.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Solution to Wednesday's Word Sudoku Puzzle

Yesterday's 8x8 Hidden Word Sudoku puzzle was based on the letters in OCTAD + SIX (DOXASTIC).

A new puzzle in a few hours.

Thanks,
--Dave 

 

Spy Sudoku for 9/2/2026: LOWED

Today's keyword is LOWED.
Drop "E" and use the remaining letters to solve the 4x4 puzzle.
Add "C" to the keyword to supply the letters to solve the 6x6 puzzle.

Today’s hidden words may be less familiar; your Sudoku skills will reveal them!

-E

LOWED

+C

Solutions tomorrow morning.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Solutions to yesterday's Spy Sudoku puzzles

Yesterday's Spy Sudoku keyword: DOWEL
4x4 (DOWEL - D): LOWE
6x6 (DOWEL + B): BOWLED

Thanks,
--Dave

 

New Word Sudoku Puzzle for Wednesday, 9/2/2026

OCTAD + SIX
8x8 Hidden Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column and 2x4 rectangle contains these letters exactly once
The hidden word spells down the diagonal

Solution tomorrow morning.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Solution to Tuesday's Word Sudoku Puzzle

Yesterday's 9x9 Hidden Word Sudoku puzzle was based on the letters in ONE RUT + SIX (EXTRUSION).

A new puzzle in a few hours.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Spy Sudoku for 9/1/2026: DOWEL

Spy Sudoku is a new word game based on Word Sudoku. Each day, you're given a 5-letter word, and told which letter to take away or add, to solve a 4x4 and 6x6 Word Sudoku puzzle.

Fair warning! These puzzles use more than just the common words you undoubtedly know; they also include rare, obsolete, and archaic words, scientific terms, and even names—of people and places. This is because the rules of Sudoku don't require you to know the word to solve the puzzle. Most of the week, the hidden words are ones you'll probably recognize—common and familiar. Some days, especially Fridays and Sundays, you may encounter unfamiliar words. But the logic of Sudoku will always lead you to the answers, and you might learn some new words!

On Sundays, you'll also be challenged to solve a 5x5 puzzle spelling out an anagram of the 5-letter word.

I'd love your feedback! Please use the blog comment feature to let me know what works for you, and what doesn't.

Today’s keyword is DOWEL.
Drop "D" and use the remaining letters to solve the 4x4 puzzle.
Add "B" to the keyword to supply the letters to solve the 6x6 puzzle.

Today’s hidden words should be familiar to most players.

-D

DOWEL

+B

Solutions tomorrow morning.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Solutions to yesterday's Spy Sudoku puzzles

Yesterday's Spy Sudoku keyword: AUNTY
4x4 (AUNTY - T): YUAN
6x6 (AUNTY + J): JAUNTY

Thanks,
--Dave

 

New Word Sudoku Puzzle for Tuesday, 9/1/2026

ONE RUT + SIX
9x9 Hidden Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column and 3x3 square contains these letters exactly once
The hidden word spells down the diagonal

Solution first thing in the morning.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

New Word Sudoku Puzzle for Tuesday, 9/1/2026

ONE RUT + SIX
9x9 Hidden Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column and 3x3 square contains these letters exactly once
The hidden word spells down the diagonal

Solution first thing in the morning.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

New Word Sudoku Puzzle for Tuesday, 9/1/2026

ONE RUT + SIX
9x9 Hidden Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column and 3x3 square contains these letters exactly once
The hidden word spells down the diagonal

Solution first thing in the morning.

Thanks,
--Dave

Solutions to Monday's Word Sudoku Puzzles

Yesterday's 4x4 Hidden Word Sudoku puzzle was based on the letters in PR + IX (PRIX) and the 6x6 Hidden Word Sudoku puzzle was based on the letters in ORE + SIX (OREXIS).

A new set of puzzles in a few hours.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Spy Sudoku for 8/31/2026: AUNTY

Today's keyword is AUNTY.
Drop "T" and use the remaining letters to solve the 4x4 puzzle.
Add "J" to the keyword to supply the letters to solve the 6x6 puzzle.

Today’s hidden words may be less familiar; your Sudoku skills will reveal them!

-T

AUNTY

+J

Solutions tomorrow morning.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Solutions to yesterday's Spy Sudoku puzzles

Yesterday's Spy Sudoku keyword: TULIP
4x4 (TULIP - L): PTUI
6x6 (TULIP + F): UPLIFT
5x5: UPLIT

Thanks,
--Dave

 

New Word Sudoku Puzzles for Monday, 8/31/2026

PR + IX
4x4 Hidden Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column and 2x2 square contains these letters exactly once
The hidden word spells out in the shaded cells

ORE + SIX
6x6 Hidden Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column and 2x3 rectangle contains these letters exactly once
The hidden word spells down the diagonal

Solutions first thing in the morning.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Solution to the Sunday Challenge Word Sudoku Puzzle

Yesterday’s Sunday Challenge 12x12 Hidden Word Sudoku Puzzle was based on the letters in NUMB FACTOR + SI (FRACTONIMBUS).

New puzzles in a few hours.
 

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Spy Sudoku for 8/30/2026: TULIP

Today's keyword is TULIP.
Drop "L" and use the remaining letters to solve the 4x4 puzzle.
Add "F" to the keyword to supply the letters to solve the 6x6 puzzle.
Solve the 5x5 to discover a keyword anagram.

Today’s hidden words may be less familiar; your Sudoku skills will reveal them!

-L

TULIP

+F

Solutions tomorrow morning.

Thanks,
--Dave

All puzzles and text contained in this blog are copyright © 2008-2026, David H. Thompson. All rights reserved. Please tell your puzzle-loving friends to follow this blog. Thank you!

 

Solutions to yesterday's Spy Sudoku puzzles

Yesterday's Spy Sudoku keyword: FAQIR
4x4 (FAQIR - Q): FAIR
6x6 (FAQIR + U): FAQUIR

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Sunday Challenge: New Word Sudoku Puzzle for Sunday, 8/30/2026

NUMB FACTOR + SI
Sunday Challenge: 12x12 Hidden Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column and 3x4 rectangle contains these letters exactly once
The hidden word or words spell down the diagonal

Solution first thing in the morning.

Thanks,
--Dave

(All puzzles and text contained in this blog are copyright © 2008-2026, David H. Thompson. All rights reserved. Please tell your puzzle-loving friends to follow this blog. Thank you!)

 

Solutions to the Saturday Paraprosdokian Sudoku Puzzles

Yesterday’s Qudoku puzzle sets spelled out wordplay known as a paraprosdokian.

The Sunday Challenge in a few hours.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Spy Sudoku for 8/29/2026: FAQIR

Today's keyword is FAQIR.
Drop "Q" and use the remaining letters to solve the 4x4 puzzle.
Add "U" to the keyword to supply the letters to solve the 6x6 puzzle.

Today’s hidden words may be less familiar; your Sudoku skills will reveal them!

-Q

FAQIR

+U

Solutions tomorrow morning.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Solutions to yesterday's Spy Sudoku puzzles

Yesterday's Spy Sudoku keyword: LOUIE
4x4 (LOUIE - O): LIEU
6x6 (LOUIE + T): OUTLIE

Thanks,
--Dave

 

New Word Sudoku (Paraprosdokian Sudoku!) Puzzles for Saturday, 8/29/2026

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak … courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen

A paraprosdokian is wordplay where the latter part of a statement forces you to reinterpret the first part. The phrase intentionally leads you in one direction—misleads you into thinking one way—and then abruptly changes direction, ending with the unexpected twist. The origin of the word is Greek, meaning "against expectation."

Most of the statements in these weekly blog posts are actual paraprosdokians; you might possibly dispute a few. But since they’re still fun plays on words, I’m sharing them anyway.

Because paraprosdokians come in two parts, I present each part as a separate quote, each revealed by solving its own set of word Sudoku puzzles.

(Note: this is the corrected version. The original post had errors in puzzle numbering.)

HOMING
6x6 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x3 rectangle and set of circled cells contains the letters in the word exactly once

SULTRY
6x6 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x3 rectangle and set of circled cells contains the letters in the word exactly once

DEAF
4x4 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x2 square and set of circled cells contains the letters in the word exactly once
Copy circled letters to the corresponding numbered cells in the quote grid to spell out the quote

INSOLE
6x6 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x3 rectangle and set of circled cells contains the letters in the word exactly once

PUNT
4x4 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x2 square and set of circled cells contains the letters in the word exactly once
Copy circled letters to the corresponding numbered cells in the quote grid to spell out the quote

Solutions first thing in the morning.

Thanks,
--Dave