Spy Sudoku for 7/1/2026: SLICE

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

This month I am introducing a new Word Sudoku variant I'm calling Spy Sudoku, playing off the discovery of two hidden words after you ferret out what letters to use to solve the two small Word Sudoku puzzles. Each day, you're given a 5-letter word, and told which letter to take away or add, to solve a 4x4 and 6x6 Sudoku. On Sundays, you'll also be challenged by a 5x5 puzzle spelling out an anagram of the 5-letter word.

I've constructed several years of daily puzzle sets I hope to syndicate. I'd love your feedback! I may play with wording or puzzle alignment, etc., to try to make it as intuitive (visually obvious) as possible how to play the game. Please use the blog comment feature to let me know what works for you, and what doesn't.

Today’s keyword is SLICE.
Drop "C" and use the remaining letters to solve the 4x4 puzzle.
Add "M" to the keyword for the letters to solve the 6x6 puzzle.

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

-C

SLICE

+M

Solutions tomorrow morning.

Thanks,
--Dave

New Word Sudoku Puzzle for Wednesday, 7/1/2026

MATEO + 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 first thing in the morning.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Solution to Tuesday's Word Sudoku Puzzle

Yesterday's 9x9 Hidden Word Sudoku puzzle was based on the letters in MOB ALE + SIX (MAILBOXES).

A new puzzle in just a bit.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

New Word Sudoku Puzzle for Tuesday, 6/30/2026

MOB ALE + 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 LO + SI (SILO) and the 6x6 Hidden Word Sudoku puzzle was based on the letters in NAE + SIX (XENIAS).

More puzzles in a bit.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

New Word Sudoku Puzzles for Monday, 6/29/2026

LO + SI
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

NAE + 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

 

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

 

New Word Sudoku (Did you hear?) Puzzles for Sunday, 6/28/2026

Did you hear about the cannibal who showed up late for dinner? He got the cold shoulder.

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.

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

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

FRYING
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 …

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

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

CONFAB
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

 

New Word Sudoku (Paraprosdokian Sudoku!) Puzzles for Saturday, 6/27/2026

Imagine if the headless horseman had a headless horse … That would be chaos.

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.

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

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

SHIM
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

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

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

SHUN
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 EM + SIX (MIXES) and the 7x7 Hidden Word Sudoku puzzle was based on the letters in BODE + SIX (SIDEBOX).

The Saturday paraprosdokian in a bit.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

New Word Sudoku Puzzles for Friday, 6/26/2026

EM + SIX
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

BODE + 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 MOURNED + SIX (SOUND MIXER).

New puzzles in a bit.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

New Word Sudoku Puzzle for Thursday, 6/25/2026

MOURNED + 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 FETAL + SIX (FLAXIEST).

A new puzzle in a few hours.

Thanks,
--Dave