New Word Sudoku (Paraprosdokian Sudoku!) Puzzles for Saturday, 4/25/2026

One thing you mustn’t miss when you are in Nome … the plane!

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.

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

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

UNIT
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

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

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

CAFE
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 AZ + SIX (Z-AXIS) and the 7x7 Hidden Word Sudoku puzzle was based on the letters in EAT W + SIX (WAXIEST).

The Saturday paraprosdokian in a bit.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

New Word Sudoku Puzzles for Friday, 4/24/2026

AZ + 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

EAT W + 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

(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 Thursday's Word Sudoku Puzzle

Yesterday's 10x10 Hidden Word Sudoku puzzle was based on the letters in HAD POLE + SIX (HEXAPLOIDS).

New puzzles in a bit.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

New Word Sudoku Puzzle for Thursday, 4/23/2026

HAD POLE + 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 CLYDE + SIX (DYSLEXIC).

A new puzzle in a few hours.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

New Word Sudoku Puzzle for Wednesday, 4/22/2026

CLYDE + 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 HEN LOT + SIX (XENOLITHS).

A new puzzle in a few hours.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Solutions to Yesterday's Extra Paraprosdokian Sudoku Puzzles

Yesterday’s extra set of Qudoku puzzle sets spelled out punnish (and perhaps punishing) wordplay known as a paraprosdokian. (It's my coffee cabinet's fault!)

Thanks,
--Dave

 

Extra Word Sudoku (Paraprosdokian Sudoku!) Puzzles for Tuesday, April 21, 2026

I gather each morning with friends at the local coffee shop to solve the world's problems (only to completely forget those obviously easy solutions before we each get back home). We laugh; we whine; sometimes we mourn those who leave us. So: We live, in easy companionship.

One member of this coffee cabinet, Scott, remembers jokes. Many jokes. Seemingly all jokes. I don't know how. He had me choking on my coffee yesterday morning, with a pun that fits right in with my weekend theme of paraprosdokians—jokes that start you off in one direction, and then make you double back and reconsider what you thought you heard.

Here's the joke, in two parts: The setup, and then the rejoinder, complete with (hopefully unexpected) twist. Enjoy!

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

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

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

PLOW
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

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

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

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

THEW
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

Solution tomorrow morning.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

New Word Sudoku Puzzle for Tuesday, 4/21/2026

HEN LOT + 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 ET + IX (EXIT) and the 6x6 Hidden Word Sudoku puzzle was based on the letters in LEA + SIX (ALEXIS).

More puzzles in a bit.

Thanks,
--Dave

 

New Word Sudoku Puzzles for Monday, 4/20/2026

ET + 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

LEA + 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