Answer 1: ZIP path explained
ZIP fills answer slot 1 with 3 letters. The stored trace runs from Z at row 5, column 4 to P at row 4, column 5. Its movement record is up 1 time and right 1 time, divided into 2 straight segments by 1 turn. Every change of direction remains orthogonal, which is as important to validation as reading the letters in the right order.
A one-based replay reads as follows: 1 at row 5, column 4; 2 at row 4, column 4; 3 at row 4, column 5. Substituting the board letters gives Z → I → P, an exact match for ZIP. No coordinate appears twice and no step skips across a corner. The route’s extent is 2 by 2 when measured in occupied rows and columns, which offers a second check independent of the displayed numbering.
Answer 2: THAW path explained
The 2nd verified word, THAW, occupies 4 tiles. Start on T at row 1, column 4 and end on W at row 3, column 5. Between those endpoints the route goes down 2 times and right 1 time. It forms 2 straight runs and changes direction 1 time; no diagonal connection is being implied between the runs.
Read the numbered route in this exact order: 1 at row 1, column 4; 2 at row 1, column 5; 3 at row 2, column 5; 4 at row 3, column 5. The letters encountered are T → H → A → W, which reproduces THAW without a jump, diagonal move, or repeated square. The route spans 3 rows and 2 columns. That bounding box is a useful visual check when comparing the written solution with the board overlay.
Answer 3: THING path explained
For solution entry 3, the checked spelling is THING. Its 5 cells connect row 1, column 2, where the first letter is T, with row 4, column 1, where the final letter is G. Count down 3 times and left 1 time while tracing. That produces 1 bend and 2 linear sections, a concise geometry signature for comparing the written answer with the overlay.
The coordinate transcript is 1 at row 1, column 2; 2 at row 1, column 1; 3 at row 2, column 1; 4 at row 3, column 1; 5 at row 4, column 1. Reading those cells yields T → H → I → N → G and therefore THING. All consecutive coordinates share either a row or a column, while neither coordinate is repeated. The complete trace fits inside a rectangle 4 rows high and 2 columns wide; use that footprint to locate the route before following each numbered step.
Answer 4: ANCHOR path explained
Answer 4 is ANCHOR, a 6-letter route. It begins with A at row 5, column 2 and finishes with R at row 1, column 3. Following the stored solution requires moving up 4 times and right 1 time. The route contains 2 turns across 3 straight segments, so the word is not established by spelling alone; the geometry must also agree with every consecutive letter.
Follow 1 at row 5, column 2; 2 at row 4, column 2; 3 at row 4, column 3; 4 at row 3, column 3; 5 at row 2, column 3; 6 at row 1, column 3 to reconstruct the saved path. In tile order, the board supplies A → N → C → H → O → R. That sequence confirms ANCHOR directly rather than relying on an answer list alone. From its highest to lowest occupied row the path covers 5 rows; from its leftmost to rightmost cell it covers 2 columns. Every transition stays within that footprint and uses a shared edge.