Spy Sudoku for 7/27/2026: FLUNK

Add a letter. Drop a letter. Solve the Sudoku puzzles to discover the hidden words.

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.

Most of the week, the hidden words are ones you'll probably recognize—common and familiar. Fridays and Sundays, you may encounter unfamiliar words. But the logic of Sudoku will lead you to the answers, and you'll 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 FLUNK.
Drop "L" and use the remaining letters to solve the 4x4 puzzle.
Add "Y" to the keyword to supply the letters to solve the 6x6 puzzle.

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

-L

FLUNK

+Y

Solutions tomorrow morning.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Solutions to yesterday's Spy Sudoku puzzles

Yesterday's Spy Sudoku keyword: GEOID
4x4 (GEOID - I): DOGE
6x6 (GEOID + C): GEODIC
5x5: DOGIE

Thanks,
--Dave

 

New Word Sudoku Puzzles for Monday, 7/27/2026

NY + 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

NOAH + SX
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

 

Solutions to the Sunday (Did you hear?) Sudoku Puzzles

Yesterday’s Qudoku puzzle set spelled out a Did you hear? joke.

Did you hear about …

New puzzles in a few hours.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Spy Sudoku for 7/26/2026: GEOID

Add a letter. Drop a letter. Solve the Sudoku puzzles to discover the hidden words.

Today’s keyword is GEOID.
Drop "I" and use the remaining letters to solve the 4x4 puzzle.
Add "C" 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 unfamiliar; Sudoku logic will reveal them!

-I

GEOID

+C

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: CHEWS
4x4 (CHEWS - C): SHEW
6x6 (CHEWS + A): CASHEW

Thanks,
--Dave

 

New Word Sudoku (Did you hear?) Puzzles for Sunday, 7/26/2026

Did you hear about the superhero bitten by a radioactive lawyer? He got the power of attorney.

A Did you hear? joke is really a bad Dad joke in disguise. The badder, the better! Every other Sunday in 2026, I'll challenge you to groan even louder.

BECKON
6x6 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x3 rectangle and set of circled cells contains these letters exactly once

WAIVED
6x6 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x3 rectangle and set of circled cells contains these letters exactly once

THUMPS
6x6 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x3 rectangle and set of circled cells contains these letters exactly once
Copy circled letters to the corresponding numbered cells in the quote grid

Did you hear about …

HARMED
6x6 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x3 rectangle and set of circled cells contains these letters exactly once

FLINTS
6x6 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x3 rectangle and set of circled cells contains these letters exactly once
Copy circled letters to the corresponding numbered cells in the quote grid

Solutions 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 7/25/2026: CHEWS

Add a letter. Drop a letter. Solve the Sudoku puzzles to discover the hidden words.

Today’s keyword is CHEWS.
Drop "C" and use the remaining letters to solve the 4x4 puzzle.
Add "A" to the keyword to supply the letters to solve the 6x6 puzzle.

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

-C

CHEWS

+A

Solutions tomorrow morning.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Solutions to yesterday's Spy Sudoku puzzles

Yesterday's Spy Sudoku keyword: EYING
4x4 (EYING - I): GEN Y
6x6 (EYING + D): DYEING

Thanks,
--Dave

 

New Word Sudoku (Paraprosdokian Sudoku!) Puzzles for Saturday, 7/25/2026

One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas … How he got in my pajamas I’ll never know.

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.

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

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

THRUMS
6x6 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x3 rectangle 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

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

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

PHYLUM
6x6 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x3 rectangle 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

 

Solutions to Friday's Word Sudoku Puzzles

Yesterday's 5x5 Hidden Word Sudoku puzzle was based on the letters in CMO + IX (COMIX) and the 7x7 Hidden Word Sudoku puzzle was based on the letters in H FOB + SIX (BOXFISH).

The Saturday paraprosdokian in a bit.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Spy Sudoku for 7/24/2026: EYING

Add a letter. Drop a letter. Solve the Sudoku puzzles to discover the hidden words.

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

Today’s hidden words may be unfamiliar; Sudoku logic will reveal them!

-I

EYING

+D

Solutions tomorrow morning.

Thanks,
--Dave