Answer 1: BOOK path explained
BOOK fills answer slot 1 with 4 letters. The stored trace runs from B at row 2, column 4 to K at row 3, column 2. Its movement record is down 1 time and left 2 times, 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 2, column 4; 2 at row 2, column 3; 3 at row 2, column 2; 4 at row 3, column 2. Substituting the board letters gives B → O → O → K, an exact match for BOOK. No coordinate appears twice and no step skips across a corner. The route’s extent is 2 by 3 when measured in occupied rows and columns, which offers a second check independent of the displayed numbering.
Answer 2: PIANO path explained
The 2nd verified word, PIANO, occupies 5 tiles. Start on P at row 3, column 4 and end on O at row 1, column 4. Between those endpoints the route goes up 2 times, left 1 time, and right 1 time. 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 3, column 4; 2 at row 3, column 5; 3 at row 2, column 5; 4 at row 1, column 5; 5 at row 1, column 4. The letters encountered are P → I → A → N → O, which reproduces PIANO 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: BOTTOM path explained
For solution entry 3, the checked spelling is BOTTOM. Its 6 cells connect row 4, column 2, where the first letter is B, with row 4, column 5, where the final letter is M. Count up 1 time, down 1 time, and right 3 times while tracing. That produces 3 bends and 4 linear sections, a concise geometry signature for comparing the written answer with the overlay.
The coordinate transcript is 1 at row 4, column 2; 2 at row 4, column 3; 3 at row 4, column 4; 4 at row 5, column 4; 5 at row 5, column 5; 6 at row 4, column 5. Reading those cells yields B → O → T → T → O → M and therefore BOTTOM. All consecutive coordinates share either a row or a column, while neither coordinate is repeated. The complete trace fits inside a rectangle 2 rows high and 4 columns wide; use that footprint to locate the route before following each numbered step.
Answer 4: PUMPKIN path explained
Answer 4 is PUMPKIN, a 7-letter route. It begins with P at row 1, column 2 and finishes with N at row 5, column 2. Following the stored solution requires moving down 4 times, left 1 time, 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 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; 6 at row 5, column 1; 7 at row 5, column 2 to reconstruct the saved path. In tile order, the board supplies P → U → M → P → K → I → N. That sequence confirms PUMPKIN 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.