Answer 1: FRONTIER path explained
For solution entry 1, the checked spelling is FRONTIER. Its 8 cells connect row 5, column 5, where the first letter is F, with row 2, column 5, where the final letter is R. Count up 4 times, down 1 time, left 1 time, and right 1 time 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 5, column 5; 2 at row 4, column 5; 3 at row 3, column 5; 4 at row 3, column 4; 5 at row 2, column 4; 6 at row 1, column 4; 7 at row 1, column 5; 8 at row 2, column 5. Reading those cells yields F → R → O → N → T → I → E → R and therefore FRONTIER. All consecutive coordinates share either a row or a column, while neither coordinate is repeated. The complete trace fits inside a rectangle 5 rows high and 2 columns wide; use that footprint to locate the route before following each numbered step.
The route’s board contact can be counted precisely: 6 edge visits, 2 corner visits, and adjacency to 1 blocked position. Beyond the path itself, 1 open neighboring cell remain at its first coordinate and 0 open neighboring cells at its last. This is useful constraint evidence while avoiding an unsupported difficulty rating.
Answer 2: RHYTHMIC path explained
Answer 2 is RHYTHMIC, a 8-letter route. It begins with R at row 1, column 3 and finishes with C at row 1, column 2. Following the stored solution requires moving up 2 times, down 2 times, left 2 times, and right 1 time. The route contains 5 turns across 6 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 3; 2 at row 2, column 3; 3 at row 2, column 2; 4 at row 3, column 2; 5 at row 3, column 1; 6 at row 2, column 1; 7 at row 1, column 1; 8 at row 1, column 2 to reconstruct the saved path. In tile order, the board supplies R → H → Y → T → H → M → I → C. That sequence confirms RHYTHMIC directly rather than relying on an answer list alone. From its highest to lowest occupied row the path covers 3 rows; from its leftmost to rightmost cell it covers 3 columns. Every transition stays within that footprint and uses a shared edge.
5 cells in this answer touch the outside border, including 1 corner cell. The trace also borders 1 different block. Excluding cells already used by RHYTHMIC, the starting tile has 1 open connection and the ending tile has 0 open connections. These measurements describe the finished route; they do not pretend that the solution was forced from one endpoint alone.
Answer 3: SKYLIGHT path explained
SKYLIGHT fills answer slot 3 with 8 letters. The stored trace runs from S at row 4, column 4 to T at row 4, column 1. Its movement record is up 2 times, down 2 times, and left 3 times, divided into 7 straight segments by 6 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 4, column 4; 2 at row 5, column 4; 3 at row 5, column 3; 4 at row 4, column 3; 5 at row 4, column 2; 6 at row 5, column 2; 7 at row 5, column 1; 8 at row 4, column 1. Substituting the board letters gives S → K → Y → L → I → G → H → T, an exact match for SKYLIGHT. No coordinate appears twice and no step skips across a corner. The route’s extent is 2 by 4 when measured in occupied rows and columns, which offers a second check independent of the displayed numbering.
This path visits 5 edge tiles and 1 corner tile. It runs beside 1 distinct blocked square. At the start, 2 open neighbors 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.