Instructions, Hints
and Solutions
AGES
12 to adult
single player
Think of it as Word Search meets Tetris®. With PathWords™, you place
each puzzle piece to reveal words on the challenge card. You get 40
single-player challenges – from Beginner to Expert – that will have you
exercising your brain for hours. For all you puzzle buffs who worry that
word searches are just for amateurs, think again!
Object:
Use the colored Puzzle Pieces to cover all the letters printed on your
challenge card. Each puzzle piece must cover a single word that can
be read forward or backward (not scrambled) and no blank spaces can
appear under a Puzzle Piece.
Setup:
1.Slide back the clear top of the Game Grid to access the Challenge
Booklet, Puzzle Pieces, and Instruction booklet. Remove the Puzzle
Pieces from the Game Grid, and place them nearby.
2.Select a challenge from the Challenge Booklet. Place the Challenge
Booklet in the Game Grid with this challenge face-up and all other
pages flipped underneath.
3.Slide the clear top of the Game Grid closed.
Includes:
•1 Game Grid
•1 Spiral-bound Booklet with 40 Challenges
•8 Colored Puzzle Pieces
2
Select the required Puzzle Pieces as shown in the upper right of each
challenge card:
– Select only the Puzzle Pieces shown.
– All Puzzle Pieces are used.
??? – The number of question marks equals the number of pieces you
need to use but you will have to decide which pieces they are! Tricky!
3
Steps To Play:
ACCEPTABLE WORDS:
1.Place the colored Puzzle Pieces on the challenge so the letters under
each Puzzle Piece spell a single, complete word when read forward or
backward. For a correct solution:
a.Words covered correctly by a Puzzle Piece will not be scrambled.
b.Puzzle Pieces must be entirely within the challenge boundary.
c. All letters on the challenge must be covered by Puzzle Pieces.
d.No portion of a Puzzle Piece can cover an empty spot.
Example:
CHALLENGE
CHALLENGE
O O
Z T A A R T
E B R E A H
H T
O O
Z T A A R T
E B R E A H
H T
Blank challenge
Correctly solved challenge
2.When every letter is covered and all colored pieces spell a word,YOU WIN!
4
PathWords challenges use only words that can be found in a standard
English dictionary. Abbreviations, prefixes or suffixes are not used, nor are
words requiring a hyphen or an apostrophe, nor are proper nouns that
require a capital letter.
STUMPED?
For those times when you think you are really stuck, we provide a hint system
to give you a boost. On the following pages we provide three types of hints:
HINT 1: One letter identified by color – A single letter is identified by the color of the piece that covers it in the solution.
HINT 2: Orientation of one color piece – The correct orientation of a single piece is provided.
HINT 3: One word identified – One word is provided that is found in the solution.
For any one challenge, the three hints all point to the same word in the solution.You may choose to look at only one, two or all three hints in
combination.
NOTE: We have interspersed the order of the hints so hints of the same level
are not next to each other. This design is intentional, so you don’t accidentally
glance at a hint for your next challenge before you are ready for it.
5
Hint 1 – One Letter Identified By Color
6
Hint 2 – Orientation of One Color Piece
1 Beginner
N
5 Beginner
Z
9 Beginner
W
1 Beginner
5 Beginner
9 Beginner
11 Intermediate
R
15 Intermediate
G
19 Intermediate
R
21 Advanced
A
25 Advanced
O
29 Advanced
T
11 Intermediate
15 Intermediate
19 Intermediate
31 Expert
E
35 Expert
A
39 Expert
E
21 Advanced
25 Advanced
29 Advanced
35 Expert
39 Expert
2 Beginner
Y
6 Beginner
T
10 Beginner
A
2 Beginner
12 Intermediate
D
16 Intermediate
U
20 Intermediate
X
6 Beginner
10 Beginner
12 Intermediate
22 Advanced
T
26 Advanced
E
30 Advanced
U
32 Expert
E
36 Expert
A
40 Expert
A
22 Advanced
31 Expert
32 Expert
3 Beginner
A
7 Beginner
D
3 Beginner
13 Intermediate
B
17 Intermediate
N
13 Intermediate
23 Advanced
A
27 Advanced
E
33 Expert
A
37 Expert
A
23 Advanced
33 Expert
4 Beginner
B
8 Beginner
K
4 Beginner
14 Intermediate
U
18 Intermediate
W
14 Intermediate
24 Advanced
R
28 Advanced
H
34 Expert
E
38 Expert
E
24 Advanced
34 Expert
16 Intermediate
26 Advanced
36 Expert
20 Intermediate
30 Advanced
40 Expert
7 Beginner
17 Intermediate
27 Advanced
37 Expert
8 Beginner
18 Intermediate
28 Advanced
38 Expert
7
About the Inventor
Hint 3 – One Word Identified
1 Beginner
8
JUNK
5 Beginner
CRAZY
9 Beginner
WINK
11 Intermediate
WRING
15 Intermediate
TANGO
19 Intermediate
21 Advanced
ASPEN
25 Advanced
ENDOW
29 Advanced
ISLET
31 Expert
ARENA
35 Expert
APHID
39 Expert
GAME
2 Beginner
DERBY
6 Beginner
TEMPO
10 Beginner
12 Intermediate MADAM
16 Intermediate
SMUG
20 Intermediate
22 Advanced
OFTEN
26 Advanced
WISE
30 Advanced
FUZZ
32 Expert
REMIX
36 Expert
BOA
40 Expert
ORATE
3 Beginner
SMALL
7 Beginner
DANCE
13 Intermediate
BUNK
17 Intermediate
BANJO
23 Advanced
PASTY
27 Advanced
AWED
33 Expert
ART
37 Expert
AKIN
4 Beginner
GRAB
8 Beginner
BIKE
14 Intermediate
EQUIP
18 Intermediate
VOWEL
24 Advanced
PRIDE
28 Advanced
CHART
34 Expert
OPERA
38 Expert
GONER
CAR
ANNEX
Derrick Niederman has been creating word and number puzzles for
more than thirty years. His first crossword puzzle was published by
the New York Times in 1981, the same year he earned his Ph.D. in
mathematics from MIT. Dozens of Niederman’s crossword puzzles have
been published in the Times and other leading publications. Niederman
has published several volumes of math puzzles and is the author of the
recreational mathematics book Number Freak as well as the co-author
of the quantitative reasoning classic, What the Numbers Say. Niederman
is also the creator of the geometric puzzle 36 Cube, introduced by
Thinkfun in 2008.
ERG
9
Solutions – Beginner
10
Solutions – Intermediate
1
BET
CLAM
JUNK
PRIZE
6
INCH
JAW
QUIZ
TEMPO
11
OMEN
VIE
WING
WRING
15
MUSH
ROWS
TANGO
YAK
2
DERBY
FLAG
HUM
MOON
7
DANCE
HOME
LAKE
SIT
19
GONER
IGLOO
PLANE
STUMP
WHOM
12
DEMON
MADAM
NOMAD
3
CHESS
QUIET
SMALL
WIG
8
BIKE
GAME
HOP
TRUCK
16
EASY
GYM
PYGMY
SMUG (GUMS)
20
ANNEX
CARE
HUT
ONCE
4
DUO
FLEW
GRAB
PINKY
9
COW
METAL
SKIP
WINK
13
BUNK
CHIC
OCHRE
PEN
17
BANJO
LAW
SIGN
TREK
5
CRAZY
GIANT
MOP
SKATE
10
CAR
FOXY
LUMP
TRIED
14
EQUIP
NOON
WOK
ZEAL
18
DIP
ECHO
VOWEL
WREN
11
Solutions – Advanced
12
21
ASPEN
DEIGN
GIZMO
STUNK
THIN
24
ALLY
BULB
IMP
INGOT
PRIDE
WORTH
22
ERASE
HERO
LED
OFTEN
PIVOT
PLUMB
25
AWAY
AXES
ENDOW
FINAL
KILTS
RUM
SAFER
VOCAL
23
EWE
JELL
MAZE
PASTY
SATYR
TAPER
26
ELFIN
ENNUI
FLUTE
LEVER
SEA
SHRED
WISE
27
ALE
AWED
INERT
MACAW
MIRTH
NIGH
STUNG
UPSET
29
BLACK
GUSH
ISLET
KID
QUOTA
RATIO
UNTO
VISTA
28
CHART
HAY
IOTA
KIOSK
MOTOR
QUARK
YELL
30
ABUZZ
FEZ
FRIZZ
FUZZ
JAZZY
PIZZA
TOPAZ
ZOOM
13
Solutions – Expert
14
31
ARENA
HOLE
KNEEL
ONYX
PASTA
PORCH
RED
WISPY
34
ETHOS
GNARL
GRACE
HOBO
LEG (GEL)
LIVEN
OATS
OPERA
37
AKIN
EVADE
FLAN
HIM
PARTS (STRAP)
PLANK
RIGHT
SINEW
39
CUTER
ELBOW
GAME
LAYER
PEND
PIANO
ROUTE
SKY
32
APEX
BOXER
EPOXY
INBOX
LAX
LYNX
REMIX
XYLEM
35
APHID
ATLAS
BOO
CELLO
GROWN
MALL
TART
TRIPE
38
ATOP
CRANE
ERG
INURE
PLOT
SIXTY
SKIED
SWAMI
40
ALONE
COMET
DIRE
IRE
ORATE
SAVE
TALON
WIDOW
33
ABASE
ART
BALSA
BULLY
DEBUT
LAMÉ
PASSÉ
TALC
36
ALGAE
BOA
DEMUR
KUDZU
OVER
SALE
SPAWN
TILDE
15
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