Spy Sudoku for 8/9/2026: SNAFU

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 SNAFU.
Drop "A" and use the remaining letters to solve the 4x4 puzzle.
Add "E" 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; Sudoku logic will reveal them!

-A

SNAFU

+E

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: COZEY
4x4 (COZEY - C): OYEZ
6x6 (COZEY + D): ZYDECO

Thanks,
--Dave

 

New Word Sudoku (Did you hear?) Puzzles for Sunday, 8/9/2026

Did you hear about the guy who tells everyone what the colors on the graph mean? He’s a legend.

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.

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

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

MINT
4x4 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x2 square 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 …

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

DACE
4x4 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x2 square and set of circled cells contains these letters exactly once

HELP
4x4 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x2 square 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 8/8/2026: COZEY

Today's keyword is COZEY.
Drop "C" 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 less familiar; Sudoku logic will reveal them!

-C

COZEY

+D

Solutions tomorrow morning.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Solutions to yesterday's Spy Sudoku puzzles

Yesterday's Spy Sudoku keyword: DOLCE
4x4 (DOLCE - C): LODE
6x6 (DOLCE + A): COLEAD

Thanks,
--Dave

 

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

The saying ‘Getting there is half the fun’ … became obsolete with the advent of budget airlines.

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.

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

HONK
4x4 Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column, 2x2 square and set of circled cells contains the letters in the word exactly once

CALF
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

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

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

HACK
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

 

Solutions to Friday's Word Sudoku Puzzles

Yesterday's 5x5 Hidden Word Sudoku puzzle was based on the letters in ANO + SX (NAXOS) and the 7x7 Hidden Word Sudoku puzzle was based on the letters in BUM R + SIX (BRUXISM).

The Saturday paraprosdokian in a few hours.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Spy Sudoku for 8/7/2026: DOLCE

Today's keyword is DOLCE.
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

DOLCE

+A

Solutions tomorrow morning.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Solutions to yesterday's Spy Sudoku puzzles

Yesterday's Spy Sudoku keyword: DOLCE
4x4 (DOLCE - L): DECO
6x6 (DOLCE + S): CLOSED

Thanks,
--Dave

 

New Word Sudoku Puzzles for Friday, 8/7/2026

ANO + SX
5x5 Hidden Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column and enclosed shape contains these letters exactly once
The hidden word spells out in the shaded cells

BUM R + SIX
7x7 Hidden Word Sudoku Puzzle
Each row, column and enclosed shape contains these letters exactly once
The hidden word spells out in the shaded cells

Solutions first thing in the morning.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Solution to Thursday's Word Sudoku Puzzle

Yesterday's 10x10 Hidden Word Sudoku puzzle was based on the letters in NET PLUG + SIX (SEXTUPLING).

Another set of puzzles in a few hours.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Spy Sudoku for 8/6/2026: DOLCE

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

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

-L

DOLCE

+S

Solutions tomorrow morning.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Solutions to yesterday's Spy Sudoku puzzles

Yesterday's Spy Sudoku keyword: DOLCE
4x4 (DOLCE - L): COED
6x6 (DOLCE + R): COLDER

Thanks,
--Dave

 

New Word Sudoku Puzzle for Thursday, 8/6/2026

NET PLUG + 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

(A reminder that weekday puzzles in 2026 are based on words or phrases containing at least two of the letters in SIX, a puzzle form I call Missing Letter, Hidden Word Sudoku. Please see my amazon puzzle page www.bit.ly/WordSudokuBooks for a series of nine puzzle collections of this form that span the entire alphabet.)

 

Solution to Wednesday's Word Sudoku Puzzle

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

A new puzzle in a bit.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Spy Sudoku for 8/5/2026: DOLCE

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

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

-L

DOLCE

+R

Solutions tomorrow morning.

Thanks,
--Dave