Crumble #20 — the solution
The board from October 20, 2026, on the theme “At the doctor”: 6 words in thirty-six falling letters — a Tricky day.
The board
N C S Y A Y I I U P H R A L R T P E W B C A E R T S T G R U N E I V I S
At first sight one word is in line: VIRUS. The rest come together as letters fall.
The words
| # | Word | Where it starts, and how it runs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VIRUS | row 6, column 4 right, up, right, down |
| 2 | PATIENT | row 5, column 5 left, left, down, left, left, up |
| 3 | THERAPY | row 5, column 4 right, right, up, left, left, up |
| 4 | SWAB | row 6, column 2 left, up, right |
| 5 | CLINIC | row 6, column 3 left, left, up, right, up |
| 6 | SURGERY | row 4, column 3 down, down, right, right, right, 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.
- VIRUS. Start at row 6, column 4 of the board as it stands, then right, up, right, down. Its going brings PATIENT together.
- PATIENT. Start at row 5, column 5 of the board as it stands, then left, left, down, left, left, up. Its going brings THERAPY and SWAB together.
- THERAPY. Start at row 5, column 4 of the board as it stands, then right, right, up, left, left, up. Nothing new comes together.
- SWAB. Start at row 6, column 2 of the board as it stands, then left, up, right. Its going brings CLINIC together.
- CLINIC. Start at row 6, column 3 of the board as it stands, then left, left, up, right, up. That leaves SURGERY, the last word.
- SURGERY. Start at row 4, column 3 of the board as it stands, then down, down, right, right, right, up. The board is clear.
The decoys
30 common words can be traced at some point and are off the theme — a mistake each: ACTS, BAIL, BLUR, CURT, GREAT, HARE, HERE, NEST, PAGE, PATH, PEAT, REACT, REPEAT, SENT, SIRE, SPAR, SPARE, STAG, STAGE, SURE, SURGE, TACT, TAPE, TAPER, THERE, TIES, TIGER, UREA, URGE, WAIL.
Refused, free — a fair player could argue for them: PAGER, STAT.
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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.