Answer 1: URGENT path explained
The 1st verified word, URGENT, occupies 6 tiles. Start on U at row 2, column 2 and end on T at row 3, column 4. Between those endpoints the route goes up 1 time, down 2 times, and right 2 times. It forms 3 straight runs and changes direction 2 times; no diagonal connection is being implied between the runs.
Read the numbered route in this exact order: 1 at row 2, column 2; 2 at row 3, column 2; 3 at row 4, column 2; 4 at row 4, column 3; 5 at row 4, column 4; 6 at row 3, column 4. The letters encountered are U → R → G → E → N → T, which reproduces URGENT without a jump, diagonal move, or repeated square. The route spans 3 rows and 3 columns. That bounding box is a useful visual check when comparing the written solution with the board overlay.
Looking only at location, URGENT occupies the board edge 0 times and a corner 0 times. 3 unique blocks sit orthogonally beside its cells. Remove the route from the neighbor calculation and its start still touches 2 open cells, while its finish touches 2 open cells. The figures are observations from the verified path, not speculative solving claims.
Answer 2: EXCLAIM path explained
EXCLAIM fills answer slot 2 with 7 letters. The stored trace runs from E at row 5, column 2 to M at row 1, column 2. Its movement record is up 4 times, left 1 time, and right 1 time, divided into 3 straight segments by 2 turns. 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 2; 2 at row 5, column 1; 3 at row 4, column 1; 4 at row 3, column 1; 5 at row 2, column 1; 6 at row 1, column 1; 7 at row 1, column 2. Substituting the board letters gives E → X → C → L → A → I → M, an exact match for EXCLAIM. No coordinate appears twice and no step skips across a corner. The route’s extent is 5 by 2 when measured in occupied rows and columns, which offers a second check independent of the displayed numbering.
This path visits 7 edge tiles and 2 corner tiles. It runs beside 2 distinct blocked squares. At the start, 1 open neighbor lies outside this answer’s own path; at the end, 1 open neighbor remains outside it. Those counts explain the local constraint without claiming that an endpoint was logically forced before the other answers were known.
Answer 3: EMPHASIS path explained
Answer 3 is EMPHASIS, a 8-letter route. It begins with E at row 2, column 4 and finishes with S at row 5, column 4. Following the stored solution requires moving up 1 time, down 4 times, left 1 time, and right 1 time. The route contains 3 turns across 4 straight segments, so the word is not established by spelling alone; the geometry must also agree with every consecutive letter.
Follow 1 at row 2, column 4; 2 at row 1, column 4; 3 at row 1, column 5; 4 at row 2, column 5; 5 at row 3, column 5; 6 at row 4, column 5; 7 at row 5, column 5; 8 at row 5, column 4 to reconstruct the saved path. In tile order, the board supplies E → M → P → H → A → S → I → S. That sequence confirms EMPHASIS 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.
7 cells in this answer touch the outside border, including 2 corner cells. The trace also borders 3 different blocks. Excluding cells already used by EMPHASIS, the starting tile has 1 open connection and the ending tile has 1 open connection. These measurements describe the finished route; they do not pretend that the solution was forced from one endpoint alone.