AGES12 to adult

single playerInstructIons, HInts

and solutIons

2 3

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.

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!

Includes:

•1 Game Grid

•1 Spiral-bound Booklet with 40 Challenges

•8 Colored Puzzle Pieces

4 5

Steps To Play: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.

2. When every letter is covered and all colored pieces spell a word, YOU WIN!

ACCEPTABLE WORDS:

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.

CHALLENGE

Z T A A R TO O

E B R E A HH T

CHALLENGE

Z T A A R TO O

E B R E A HH T

Correctly solved challengeBlank challenge

Example:

6 7

9 Beginner W

19 Intermediate R

29 Advanced T

39 Expert E

10 Beginner A

20 Intermediate X

30 Advanced U

40 Expert A

9 Beginner

19 Intermediate

29 Advanced

39 Expert

10 Beginner

20 Intermediate

30 Advanced

40 Expert

1 Beginner N

11 Intermediate R

21 Advanced A

31 Expert E

2 Beginner Y

12 Intermediate D

22 Advanced T

32 Expert E

3 Beginner A

13 Intermediate B

23 Advanced A

33 Expert A

4 Beginner B

14 Intermediate U

24 Advanced R

34 Expert E

1 Beginner

11 Intermediate

21 Advanced

31 Expert

2 Beginner

12 Intermediate

22 Advanced

32 Expert

3 Beginner

13 Intermediate

23 Advanced

33 Expert

4 Beginner

14 Intermediate

24 Advanced

34 Expert

5 Beginner Z

15 Intermediate G

25 Advanced O

35 Expert A

6 Beginner T

16 Intermediate U

26 Advanced E

36 Expert A

7 Beginner D

17 Intermediate N

27 Advanced E

37 Expert A

8 Beginner K

18 Intermediate W

28 Advanced H

38 Expert E

5 Beginner

15 Intermediate

25 Advanced

35 Expert

6 Beginner

16 Intermediate

26 Advanced

36 Expert

7 Beginner

17 Intermediate

27 Advanced

37 Expert

8 Beginner

18 Intermediate

28 Advanced

38 Expert

Hint 1 – One Letter Identified By Color Hint 2 – Orientation of One Color Piece

8 9

About the InventorDerrick 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.

9 Beginner WINK

19 Intermediate GONER

29 Advanced ISLET

39 Expert GAME

10 Beginner CAR

20 Intermediate ANNEX

30 Advanced FUZZ

40 Expert ORATE

1 Beginner JUNK

11 Intermediate WRING

21 Advanced ASPEN

31 Expert ARENA

2 Beginner DERBY

12 Intermediate MADAM

22 Advanced OFTEN

32 Expert REMIX

3 Beginner SMALL

13 Intermediate BUNK

23 Advanced PASTY

33 Expert ART

4 Beginner GRAB

14 Intermediate EQUIP

24 Advanced PRIDE

34 Expert OPERA

5 Beginner CRAZY

15 Intermediate TANGO

25 Advanced ENDOW

35 Expert APHID

6 Beginner TEMPO

16 Intermediate SMUG

26 Advanced WISE

36 Expert BOA

7 Beginner DANCE

17 Intermediate BANJO

27 Advanced AWED

37 Expert AKIN

8 Beginner BIKE

18 Intermediate VOWEL

28 Advanced CHART

38 Expert ERG

Hint 3 – One Word Identified

10 11

Solutions – Beginner Solutions – Intermediate

1BET

CLAMJUNKPRIZE

6INCHJAWQUIZ

TEMPO

2DERBY

FLAGHUM

MOON

7DANCEHOME

LAKESIT

3CHESSQUIETSMALL

WIG

8BIKE

GAMEHOP

TRUCK

4DUO

FLEWGRABPINKY

9COW

METALSKIP

WINK

5CRAZYGIANT

MOPSKATE

10CAR

FOXYLUMPTRIED

11OMEN

VIEWING

WRING

15MUSHROWS

TANGOYAK

19GONERIGLOOPLANESTUMPWHOM

12DEMONMADAMNOMAD

16EASYGYM

PYGMYSMUG (GUMS)

20ANNEX

CAREHUT

ONCE

13BUNKCHIC

OCHREPEN

17BANJO

LAWSIGNTREK

14EQUIPNOON

WOKZEAL

18DIP

ECHOVOWELWREN

1312

Solutions – Advanced

21ASPENDEIGNGIZMOSTUNK

THIN

24ALLY

BULBIMP

INGOTPRIDE

WORTH

22ERASEHERO

LEDOFTENPIVOT

PLUMB

25AWAYAXES

ENDOWFINALKILTSRUM

SAFERVOCAL

23EWEJELL

MAZEPASTYSATYRTAPER

26ELFIN

ENNUIFLUTELEVER

SEASHRED

WISE

27ALE

AWEDINERT

MACAWMIRTHNIGH

STUNGUPSET

29BLACKGUSHISLET

KIDQUOTARATIOUNTOVISTA

28CHART

HAYIOTA

KIOSKMOTORQUARK

YELL

30ABUZZ

FEZFRIZZFUZZ

JAZZYPIZZATOPAZZOOM

1514

Solutions – Expert

31ARENA

HOLEKNEELONYXPASTA

PORCHRED

WISPY

34ETHOSGNARLGRACEHOBO

LEG (GEL)LIVENOATS

OPERA

32APEX

BOXEREPOXYINBOX

LAXLYNX

REMIXXYLEM

35APHIDATLAS

BOOCELLO

GROWNMALLTART

TRIPE

33ABASE

ARTBALSABULLY

DEBUTLAMÉ

PASSÉTALC

36ALGAE

BOADEMURKUDZU

OVERSALE

SPAWNTILDE

37AKIN

EVADEFLANHIM

PARTS (STRAP)PLANKRIGHT

SINEW

39CUTER

ELBOWGAMELAYERPEND

PIANOROUTE

SKY

38ATOP

CRANEERG

INUREPLOTSIXTYSKIED

SWAMI

40ALONECOMET

DIREIRE

ORATESAVE

TALONWIDOW

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