Clue 15 letters
SHECS
Circled letters: 3
Past puzzleDecember 21, 20162 / 3 / 4
Jumble hints: December 21, 2016
Revisit the Jumble puzzle from December 21, 2016 (2016-12-21) with the four scrambled clue words, the full reveal layers, and the final phrase in one place.
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2016-12-21
Step through today's Jumble help
Start with the clue lengths and circled-letter counts, move into first-letter nudges, then reveal the clue answers and final phrase only when you decide to.
4 clue words9 bonus lettersFinal: 2 / 3 / 4
Stuck on one clue word instead of the whole puzzle? Open the clue-word helper and load one slot directly from this date.
Clue 25 letters
NUDOW
Circled letters: 2
Clue 36 letters
ROWNDA
Circled letters: 2
Clue 46 letters
ITAXFE
Circled letters: 2
Layer 1
Solve shape
Open this layer only when you want the next push.
Clue 1
The answer is 5 letters long and contributes 3 circled letters to the bonus phrase.
Clue 2
The answer is 5 letters long and contributes 2 circled letters to the bonus phrase.
Clue 3
The answer is 6 letters long and contributes 2 circled letters to the bonus phrase.
Clue 4
The answer is 6 letters long and contributes 2 circled letters to the bonus phrase.
Layer 2
Letter nudges
Open this layer only when you want the next push.
Clue 1
Starts with C, ends with S, and has circled positions 2, 4, 5.
Clue 2
Starts with W, ends with D, and has circled positions 1, 2.
Clue 3
Starts with O, ends with D, and has circled positions 1, 2.
Clue 4
Starts with F, ends with E, and has circled positions 2, 5.
Layer 3
Clue-word answers
Open this layer only when you want the next push.
Clue 15 letters
SHECS
Circled letters: 3
CHESS
Clue 25 letters
NUDOW
Circled letters: 2
WOUND
Clue 36 letters
ROWNDA
Circled letters: 2
ONWARD
Clue 46 letters
ITAXFE
Circled letters: 2
FIXATE
Solve clue 1 in the helper
Load SHECS with the official answer length already set.
Solve clue 2 in the helper
Load NUDOW with the official answer length already set.
Solve clue 3 in the helper
Load ROWNDA with the official answer length already set.
Solve clue 4 in the helper
Load ITAXFE with the official answer length already set.
Layer 4
Bonus clue and final answer
Open this layer only when you want the next push.
Bonus clue
The captain of the tugboat was very busy. His job kept him - - -
OOWSTNISH2 / 3 / 4
Official final answer: ON HIS TOWS.
Broader word-help tools
Use these when this stored Jumble clue is easier to crack through broader rack solving, rhyme checks, or semantic letter-pattern lists.
Anagram solverUse the broader rack solver when you have one scrambled clue and want more than the dedicated Jumble helper offers.Rhyme finderHelpful when a pun, caption, or clue idea feels sound-based and you want pronunciation-led rhyme checks instead of spelling guesses.Double-letter wordsUseful when repeated letters look likely and you want a faster browse than the full alphabetical lists.All-unique-letter wordsGood when you want repeat-free options quickly and the clue shape suggests every letter may only appear once.Word Lists hubOpen the broader word-reference hub when the next step is length or pattern browsing instead of staying inside Jumble.