Answer 1: CLOAK path explained
CLOAK fills answer slot 1 with 5 letters. The stored trace runs from C at row 3, column 6 to K at row 1, column 4. Its movement record is up 2 times and left 2 times, 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 3, column 6; 2 at row 2, column 6; 3 at row 2, column 5; 4 at row 2, column 4; 5 at row 1, column 4. Substituting the board letters gives C → L → O → A → K, an exact match for CLOAK. No coordinate appears twice and no step skips across a corner. The route’s extent is 3 by 3 when measured in occupied rows and columns, which offers a second check independent of the displayed numbering.
Answer 2: MISTOOK path explained
The 2nd verified word, MISTOOK, occupies 7 tiles. Start on M at row 4, column 3 and end on K at row 4, column 1. Between those endpoints the route goes up 2 times, down 2 times, and left 2 times. It forms 4 straight runs and changes direction 3 times; no diagonal connection is being implied between the runs.
Read the numbered route in this exact order: 1 at row 4, column 3; 2 at row 3, column 3; 3 at row 2, column 3; 4 at row 2, column 2; 5 at row 3, column 2; 6 at row 4, column 2; 7 at row 4, column 1. The letters encountered are M → I → S → T → O → O → K, which reproduces MISTOOK 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.
Answer 3: KANGAROO path explained
For solution entry 3, the checked spelling is KANGAROO. Its 8 cells connect row 7, column 4, where the first letter is K, with row 4, column 4, where the final letter is O. Count up 3 times, left 2 times, and right 2 times while tracing. That produces 4 bends and 5 linear sections, a concise geometry signature for comparing the written answer with the overlay.
The coordinate transcript is 1 at row 7, column 4; 2 at row 6, column 4; 3 at row 6, column 3; 4 at row 6, column 2; 5 at row 5, column 2; 6 at row 5, column 3; 7 at row 5, column 4; 8 at row 4, column 4. Reading those cells yields K → A → N → G → A → R → O → O and therefore KANGAROO. 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 3 columns wide; use that footprint to locate the route before following each numbered step.
Answer 4: KEYSTROKE path explained
Answer 4 is KEYSTROKE, a 9-letter route. It begins with K at row 4, column 7 and finishes with E at row 3, column 4. Following the stored solution requires moving up 3 times, down 2 times, and left 3 times. The route contains 4 turns across 5 straight segments, so the word is not established by spelling alone; the geometry must also agree with every consecutive letter.
Follow 1 at row 4, column 7; 2 at row 4, column 6; 3 at row 5, column 6; 4 at row 6, column 6; 5 at row 6, column 5; 6 at row 5, column 5; 7 at row 4, column 5; 8 at row 3, column 5; 9 at row 3, column 4 to reconstruct the saved path. In tile order, the board supplies K → E → Y → S → T → R → O → K → E. That sequence confirms KEYSTROKE directly rather than relying on an answer list alone. From its highest to lowest occupied row the path covers 4 rows; from its leftmost to rightmost cell it covers 4 columns. Every transition stays within that footprint and uses a shared edge.