Crumble #2 — the solution
The board from October 2, 2026, on the theme “In the army”: 6 words in thirty-six falling letters — a Tricky day.
The board
T C T R I R A T I P S E B A U L A V M N U R C A K H E L T T O E T M E E
At first sight one word is in line: HELMET. The rest come together as letters fall.
The words
| # | Word | Where it starts, and how it runs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HELMET | row 5, column 2 right, right, down, right, up |
| 2 | PRIVATE | row 4, column 4 up, right, right, down, down, down |
| 3 | TANK | row 3, column 2 down, down, left |
| 4 | SALUTE | row 4, column 5 down, left, left, down, left |
| 5 | RECRUIT | row 5, column 6 down, left, left, left, up, up |
| 6 | COMBAT | row 6, column 2 left, up, up, up, up |
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.
- HELMET. Start at row 5, column 2 of the board as it stands, then right, right, down, right, up. Its going brings PRIVATE, SALUTE and TANK together.
- PRIVATE. Start at row 4, column 4 of the board as it stands, then up, right, right, down, down, down. Nothing new comes together.
- TANK. Start at row 3, column 2 of the board as it stands, then down, down, left. Nothing new comes together.
- SALUTE. Start at row 4, column 5 of the board as it stands, then down, left, left, down, left. Its going brings RECRUIT and COMBAT together.
- RECRUIT. Start at row 5, column 6 of the board as it stands, then down, left, left, left, up, up. That leaves COMBAT, which goes on its own.
- COMBAT. The last word standing crumbles on its own. The board is clear.
The decoys
25 common words can be traced at some point and are off the theme — a mistake each: CARE, CASE, CATTLE, CAVE, COMB, CUTE, HELM, IRIS, LACE, LATE, LAVA, LUTE, MANE, MEET, RACE, RISE, SAVE, SIRE, SPIT, TACT, TIPS, TUNA, TUNE, VASE, VISA.
Previous: Crumble #1 (Thu, Oct 1)
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.