Crumble #1 — the solution
The board from October 1, 2026, on the theme “Telling time”: 6 words in thirty-six falling letters — a Gentle day.
The board
Y I N N U S A I A S A U D N M E L M A D E C R M C E W R N D D D T E O E
At first sight 2 words are in line: ANNUAL and DECADE. The rest come together as letters fall.
The words
| # | Word | Where it starts, and how it runs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ANNUAL | row 2, column 3 up, right, right, down, down |
| 2 | DECADE | row 6, column 2 up, left, up, right, right |
| 3 | WINTER | row 5, column 3 left, down, right, right, up |
| 4 | MIDDAY | row 6, column 3 left, left, up, up, up |
| 5 | SECOND | row 4, column 4 down, down, right, up, right |
| 6 | SUMMER | row 2, column 6 down, down, down, down, left |
One order that clears it
Rows are counted from the top and columns from the left, on the board as it stands when the word is taken — the letters have fallen by then. Most boards can be cleared in more than one order; this is the first one the board allows, taking the longest word that is ready.
- ANNUAL. Start at row 2, column 3 of the board as it stands, then up, right, right, down, down. Nothing new comes together.
- DECADE. Start at row 6, column 2 of the board as it stands, then up, left, up, right, right. Its going brings WINTER together.
- WINTER. Start at row 5, column 3 of the board as it stands, then left, down, right, right, up. Its going brings MIDDAY and SECOND together.
- MIDDAY. Start at row 6, column 3 of the board as it stands, then left, left, up, up, up. Nothing new comes together.
- SECOND. Start at row 4, column 4 of the board as it stands, then down, down, right, up, right. That leaves SUMMER, which goes on its own.
- SUMMER. The last word standing crumbles on its own. The board is clear.
The decoys
2 common words can be traced at some point and are off the theme — a mistake each: INTERN, SECRET.
About Crumble
Crumble is Noggin’s falling-letters word puzzle, on the second shelf: every word fits the day’s theme, a traced word crumbles and the letters above fall, outside the daily line-up. How to play Crumble, or play today’s.