Number Salad · 593 puzzles
Number Salad Answers
Every Target, Worked Out
593 puzzles holding 2,964 targets, each with the arithmetic written out in full.
593Puzzles
2,964Targets
5Avg / Puzzle
653Highest No.
About Number Salad
The Arithmetic Side of Word Salad
Number Salad is the counting cousin of Word Salad. Instead of a pool of letters you are handed a small set of numbered tiles, and instead of hidden words you are given a run of target numbers to hit. Reaching a target means combining the tiles with addition, subtraction and multiplication until the arithmetic lands exactly — no approximations count. This archive covers 593 puzzles and 2,964 individual targets, every one with the working shown.
Puzzles get harder as they go: the first target in a board is usually reachable with two tiles, while the last often needs four or five and a change of sign along the way. Because several tile combinations can land on the same number, the solution printed here is one valid route rather than the only one — if your arithmetic differs but reaches the target, it is just as correct. Each puzzle also carries a name, which is flavour rather than a clue.
Pick any puzzle below to see its tiles, its targets and the worked expression for each. Number Salad sits alongside the game's two word modes: 1,340 fixed category levels across 23 themes, and 918 dated boards in the daily archive.
All puzzles
Every Number Salad Puzzle
Newest first. Each row shows the tiles you are given and how many targets to hit.
| Puzzle | Name | Tiles | Targets |
|---|---|---|---|
| #653 | Bad News First | 2 5 6 7 8 20 | 5 |
| #652 | All Roads Lead | 2 3 4 5 9 10 20 | 5 |
| #651 | Taken Aback | 1 2 3 5 6 9 | 5 |
| #650 | Drill Down | 2 6 7 20 50 | 5 |
| #649 | Frontal Lobe | 1 2 4 5 8 50 | 5 |
| #648 | Rotator | 1 4 6 8 10 60 | 5 |
| #647 | Bullseye Is Worth 60 | 4 5 6 8 9 10 40 60 | 5 |
| #646 | Left Inclination | 1 2 3 4 6 7 10 | 5 |
| #645 | Hungry Mole | 1 2 3 6 8 | 5 |
| #644 | Bactrian Camel | 1 3 5 7 8 50 | 5 |
| #643 | Press Play | 1 3 4 6 8 | 5 |
| #641 | Side Eye | 1 2 4 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #640 | Heat Wave | 1 2 3 5 7 | 5 |
| #639 | Fahrenheit 451 | 1 2 3 4 5 6 10 | 5 |
| #638 | I Can't Even | 3 5 7 9 | 5 |
| #637 | Just The Basics | 1 9 10 | 5 |
| #636 | Mid 30s | 4 6 7 8 40 | 5 |
| #635 | 50 Ways To Make 50 | 1 4 5 6 10 | 5 |
| #634 | Naked Mole Rat | 1 3 4 6 8 9 | 5 |
| #633 | Reclining Figure | 1 2 3 5 6 9 | 5 |
| #632 | Block Booking | 3 4 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #631 | Blue Eyeshadow | 2 3 6 7 9 10 20 | 5 |
| #630 | Most Of A Robo | 1 2 3 4 6 7 | 5 |
| #629 | An Aubergine | 1 2 4 5 8 20 | 5 |
| #628 | Tiny Pyramid | 1 2 3 4 8 | 5 |
| #627 | When To Go Big | 1 2 5 6 7 8 60 | 5 |
| #626 | I i | 1 3 4 6 8 10 | 5 |
| #625 | Archipelago | 1 2 4 5 7 9 10 30 | 5 |
| #624 | The Main Demesne | 1 2 3 5 7 8 10 | 5 |
| #623 | Constructive Feedback | 1 2 3 4 6 7 20 | 5 |
| #622 | Separate Ways | 1 3 4 6 7 30 | 5 |
| #621 | Down And Out | 2 4 5 8 20 | 5 |
| #620 | Small Celebratory Flag | 1 2 3 4 5 8 50 | 5 |
| #619 | Doll's House | 1 3 7 8 9 | 5 |
| #618 | Big Arrow | 2 3 4 5 6 70 80 | 5 |
| #617 | Wide Open Spaces | 2 3 5 7 8 9 20 | 5 |
| #616 | Just A Block Of Numbers | 2 4 5 7 8 9 10 | 5 |
| #615 | Finger-wag | 2 4 5 7 8 20 | 5 |
| #614 | Mining Tool | 4 5 7 10 20 | 5 |
| #613 | Robot Friend | 2 4 6 7 8 9 30 | 5 |
| #612 | When Hope Is Lost | 1 2 4 5 7 30 | 5 |
| #611 | Antecedents | 1 2 3 4 6 9 | 5 |
| #610 | Climbdown | 1 3 5 8 9 | 5 |
| #609 | Eminent Domain | 4 5 6 7 10 20 | 5 |
| #608 | Working Around | 1 3 4 7 9 10 20 | 5 |
| #607 | Ready To Add | 1 2 3 6 9 30 | 5 |
| #606 | Unused Nunchucks | 1 3 5 6 7 8 10 | 5 |
| #605 | Oddly Curved Sword | 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 | 5 |
| #604 | 97 Election | 3 5 7 8 10 20 30 | 5 |
| #603 | Mislaid Path | 3 4 5 7 9 50 | 5 |
| #602 | Off-base | 1 2 3 4 9 20 50 | 5 |
| #601 | With A Twist | 1 4 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #600 | Order Of Operations | 1 2 3 5 6 8 | 5 |
| #599 | Ahead Of The Curve | 1 2 3 5 6 7 10 | 5 |
| #598 | Sextant | 1 2 4 6 7 30 | 5 |
| #597 | Breaking Wave | 1 2 5 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #596 | A Big Hand | 1 2 4 7 8 30 | 5 |
| #595 | Cycle Of Erosion | 2 3 4 6 8 10 | 5 |
| #594 | Lockpicking | 1 2 4 5 6 | 5 |
| #593 | Ankher Man | 2 4 6 7 9 40 | 5 |
| #592 | Blue Bell | 2 3 5 7 9 10 40 50 | 5 |
| #591 | Skylight | 1 2 3 4 8 | 5 |
| #590 | Open-mouthed Carp | 1 2 3 5 7 | 5 |
| #589 | It Might Land On Red Or Black | 1 2 3 4 6 10 | 5 |
| #588 | About To Overbalance | 1 2 4 5 6 8 | 5 |
| #587 | Stingray | 1 5 8 9 10 20 | 5 |
| #586 | Fourth Seed | 2 4 5 9 10 20 | 5 |
| #585 | High Five | 1 2 4 5 9 | 5 |
| #584 | Karmic Justice | 1 2 3 9 30 50 60 | 5 |
| #583 | Yacht Life | 1 2 3 9 10 | 5 |
| #582 | Parity Check | 1 2 3 4 6 | 5 |
| #581 | Odd Timing | 1 2 4 5 6 8 | 5 |
| #580 | Equal Temperaments | 1 3 4 5 50 | 5 |
| #579 | Downshift | 1 5 6 7 8 20 | 5 |
| #578 | Creaking At The Seams | 1 3 5 9 20 30 50 | 5 |
| #577 | Hole In My Heart | 1 2 3 4 7 30 40 | 5 |
| #576 | Even The Losers | 1 2 7 8 10 | 5 |
| #575 | Red Pill/Blue Pill | 2 4 6 7 8 9 20 | 5 |
| #574 | Big No.9 Up Top | 2 4 5 8 9 | 5 |
| #573 | Winding Road | 1 2 4 9 10 30 | 5 |
| #572 | Diagonal Stripe | 1 4 5 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #571 | Out Of Step | 3 4 5 6 9 30 | 5 |
| #570 | This One's About To Fall Over | 1 2 3 5 6 9 | 5 |
| #569 | Engine Of Discovery | 2 3 4 6 9 | 5 |
| #568 | Wheel Of Fortune | 1 2 6 7 20 50 60 | 5 |
| #567 | Mid-Jenga | 2 5 7 8 30 | 5 |
| #566 | Double Standard | 1 2 3 5 30 | 5 |
| #565 | The Hook | 1 2 3 4 7 9 | 5 |
| #564 | Confused Penguin | 2 3 5 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #563 | Waterfall | 3 4 5 6 7 10 | 5 |
| #562 | Amphitheatre | 1 2 5 7 8 | 5 |
| #561 | Secret Stash | 2 3 4 5 6 10 20 | 5 |
| #560 | Microadjustments | 1 2 3 6 | 5 |
| #559 | Hasta La Vista | 1 2 3 4 5 7 | 5 |
| #558 | Two Kinds Of Luck | 3 4 5 7 8 70 | 5 |
| #557 | One Step Forward... | 1 2 3 4 7 10 20 | 5 |
| #556 | Charlie Kelly's Corkboard | 1 2 4 7 8 20 | 5 |
| #555 | Net Negative | 2 3 5 10 30 | 5 |
| #554 | Cartoon Pencil | 1 2 3 5 6 9 | 5 |
| #553 | Life Leaving The Ocean | 1 2 5 10 40 70 | 5 |
| #552 | A Classic 4-4-2 | 2 4 5 9 | 5 |
| #551 | Hydroelectric | 5 6 8 20 | 5 |
| #550 | Counting Upwards | 1 4 5 6 7 8 10 | 5 |
| #549 | Screwtop | 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #548 | Ursa Major | 3 4 5 6 8 10 20 | 5 |
| #547 | Orwell | 1 3 4 7 8 9 | 5 |
| #546 | Big Stretch | 2 3 6 8 30 | 5 |
| #545 | Fibonacci | 1 2 3 5 8 | 5 |
| #544 | Stack Overflow | 1 2 5 7 10 50 | 5 |
| #543 | Too Big To Fail | 1 2 4 6 9 20 30 | 5 |
| #542 | Piñata | 2 3 4 5 6 60 70 | 5 |
| #541 | Party Like It's '99 | 1 2 4 5 7 9 | 5 |
| #540 | Bagpipes | 1 2 3 5 6 | 5 |
| #539 | A Range Of Options | 1 2 3 4 6 30 | 5 |
| #538 | Just A Warped Bit Of Plastic | 2 3 4 5 7 10 | 5 |
| #537 | Map To The Treasure | 1 3 5 6 7 9 | 5 |
| #536 | 9-pin Bowling | 1 2 3 6 9 30 40 | 5 |
| #535 | Red Snapper | 2 3 4 7 9 20 | 5 |
| #534 | Stop! Threes! | 3 4 30 | 5 |
| #533 | Moth Escaping A Cocoon | 1 5 6 7 8 10 20 50 | 5 |
| #532 | Slapstick | 1 2 3 5 6 8 | 5 |
| #531 | Hyperloop | 1 2 3 5 6 7 | 5 |
| #530 | Vampire's Reflection | 2 3 4 5 6 | 5 |
| #529 | Child's Dinosaur Drawing | 1 2 4 5 6 9 10 | 5 |
| #528 | Jumping Salmon | 2 5 6 7 9 10 | 5 |
| #527 | Helium Balloon | 1 2 4 5 7 8 10 20 | 5 |
| #526 | The Shoes Say Seven | 1 3 5 6 7 10 | 5 |
| #525 | Half-water, Half-rock | 2 7 9 10 30 60 | 5 |
| #524 | Bendy Eel | 1 2 4 5 6 7 | 5 |
| #523 | Toffee In A Wrapper | 1 4 7 8 10 20 | 5 |
| #522 | Shuriken | 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 | 5 |
| #521 | Red Arrow | 2 3 5 7 8 9 60 | 5 |
| #520 | Ice Pick | 1 2 6 9 20 30 60 70 | 5 |
| #519 | Three-Fifths Of A Bullseye | 1 2 3 6 8 9 30 | 5 |
| #518 | If You Reach 300, You've Gone Wrong | 1 3 6 7 40 50 | 5 |
| #517 | Blue Line | 1 2 3 5 7 50 70 | 5 |
| #516 | Stacked Bricks | 1 2 5 6 8 | 5 |
| #515 | Water Wheel | 2 3 4 6 8 20 40 | 5 |
| #514 | Five By Five | 2 3 5 9 | 5 |
| #513 | Guinea Fowl | 2 3 4 6 7 8 50 | 5 |
| #512 | Red And Black Beetle | 1 2 3 4 5 7 | 5 |
| #511 | Cracked Arrowhead | 2 3 4 5 10 20 40 | 5 |
| #510 | Prism | 3 4 5 6 8 60 | 5 |
| #509 | Stuck Seed | 1 3 5 6 8 20 | 5 |
| #508 | One Block Out Of Place | 1 2 3 4 6 9 10 60 | 5 |
| #507 | Curled Scorpion | 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 | 5 |
| #506 | Slipstream | 1 2 3 6 8 10 20 | 5 |
| #505 | The Loch Ness Monster | 2 3 4 5 9 10 20 | 5 |
| #504 | Ocean-going Vessel | 2 3 7 9 10 30 50 | 5 |
| #503 | Pea In A Pod | 2 3 6 9 10 30 | 5 |
| #502 | Ten-Four, Over | 1 4 8 10 | 5 |
| #501 | Oni | 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #500 | Open Season | 1 2 4 5 6 9 | 5 |
| #499 | Crow's Nest | 1 2 5 6 8 20 30 | 5 |
| #498 | Trapped In A Puzzle Factory | 2 3 5 6 7 10 20 | 5 |
| #497 | Buried Treasure | 2 3 5 6 8 9 30 | 5 |
| #496 | Wonky Tonky | 1 2 5 6 | 5 |
| #495 | Best Laid Plans | 1 2 5 6 9 20 | 5 |
| #494 | Some Assembly Required | 2 3 4 5 6 9 20 | 5 |
| #493 | Metamorphosis | 1 2 3 4 5 6 | 5 |
| #492 | Ying And Yang | 2 3 4 6 9 10 | 5 |
| #491 | Tippy Tower | 1 2 3 4 5 10 30 | 5 |
| #490 | Pyjama Llama | 3 5 6 7 9 20 | 5 |
| #489 | Sitting On The Fence | 1 2 3 5 6 9 30 | 5 |
| #488 | Threading The Needle | 1 2 4 5 6 10 | 5 |
| #487 | Through The Telescope | 1 2 3 4 9 20 30 | 5 |
| #486 | Staggered Entrance | 1 2 3 5 6 10 | 5 |
| #485 | Tie The Knot | 1 2 3 7 10 20 | 5 |
| #484 | Robin Hood | 1 2 4 5 6 9 | 5 |
| #483 | Are We There Yet? | 2 5 6 7 8 9 | 5 |
| #482 | Odd One Out | 1 2 3 4 6 7 | 5 |
| #481 | Pendulum Swing | 2 3 7 8 30 | 5 |
| #480 | Inflatable Lounger | 4 6 8 9 10 20 30 | 5 |
| #479 | Contemplation | 1 2 3 4 5 6 9 | 5 |
| #478 | Scattered States | 1 3 4 6 9 10 20 | 5 |
| #477 | Overcooked | 1 2 3 5 7 10 | 5 |
| #476 | Shot Putter | 1 2 3 5 6 7 20 | 5 |
| #475 | Cross Cutting Concerns | 2 3 5 7 9 | 5 |
| #474 | Big Brain | 2 3 4 5 6 20 | 5 |
| #473 | Spidery | 1 2 5 6 7 8 9 | 5 |
| #472 | This One Is Eightful | 1 2 3 4 8 50 | 5 |
| #471 | Mind Your Threes And Twos | 2 3 4 7 20 | 5 |
| #470 | Parallel Bars | 1 2 3 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #469 | Launchpad | 1 2 4 5 6 8 | 5 |
| #468 | Single City | 1 3 6 7 10 | 5 |
| #467 | No. 953 | 1 2 4 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #466 | Cold Up North | 3 4 5 7 8 10 20 | 5 |
| #465 | Bean Pole | 2 3 5 9 10 50 | 5 |
| #464 | Thin Blue Line | 3 4 5 6 9 20 30 | 5 |
| #463 | Sneak Attack | 1 2 5 7 8 20 | 5 |
| #462 | Moon Landing Flag | 1 2 3 4 6 10 | 5 |
| #461 | Mind The Gap | 1 2 5 7 9 30 | 5 |
| #460 | Something Small Off The Top | 1 2 3 4 6 7 | 5 |
| #459 | Floor 50 | 2 4 7 8 9 50 | 5 |
| #458 | Works Hard For A Living | 1 2 4 5 6 7 | 5 |
| #457 | Loving And Giving | 2 4 7 10 30 70 | 5 |
| #456 | Far To Go | 1 2 3 5 7 9 | 5 |
| #455 | Full Of Woe | 1 2 4 5 7 10 20 | 5 |
| #454 | Full Of Grace | 1 2 4 5 6 | 5 |
| #453 | Fair Of Face | 2 6 7 20 40 | 5 |
| #452 | Sevenses | 1 2 4 5 6 7 | 5 |
| #451 | Colour Symmetry | 3 4 5 6 7 10 20 | 5 |
| #450 | Many Ways Down | 2 3 4 6 9 10 30 | 5 |
| #449 | Say The Line, Bart! | 1 2 4 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #448 | Forex Transaction | 4 6 8 9 10 20 | 5 |
| #447 | Swing The Blues | 2 3 9 20 30 | 5 |
| #446 | Five Spice | 1 2 3 5 6 8 | 5 |
| #445 | Pangea | 1 2 4 5 6 8 30 | 5 |
| #444 | Sweet Dreams | 1 2 3 4 5 8 | 5 |
| #443 | Branching Factor | 1 2 3 5 6 7 | 5 |
| #442 | Breaking Wave | 1 2 4 5 6 | 5 |
| #441 | Half Past Nine | 1 4 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #440 | Baby Carriage | 1 2 4 9 10 40 | 5 |
| #439 | Binary Search | 1 2 4 7 8 50 | 5 |
| #438 | Twirler Girl | 4 5 6 7 8 9 | 5 |
| #437 | Parallelogram | 2 3 4 6 8 10 30 | 5 |
| #436 | Crushing It | 2 3 4 6 8 10 | 5 |
| #435 | Poor Pour Pore | 3 4 6 10 | 5 |
| #434 | Multiplicative Space | 1 2 3 5 6 | 5 |
| #433 | Range Mountain | 1 2 4 5 6 8 | 5 |
| #432 | Master Key | 2 3 5 6 7 30 | 5 |
| #431 | Big Surprise | 2 3 4 5 6 9 30 90 | 5 |
| #430 | Pepper Spray | 2 3 4 7 8 9 20 40 | 5 |
| #429 | Iguanodon | 2 3 4 5 6 20 40 50 | 5 |
| #428 | That's Not The Way | 2 3 5 7 8 10 20 | 5 |
| #427 | Fractal Journey | 2 3 5 6 7 | 5 |
| #426 | Eau De Nombre | 2 4 5 7 8 9 10 | 5 |
| #425 | Displacement | 2 3 5 6 20 30 | 5 |
| #424 | Harpist | 1 2 4 5 6 7 10 | 5 |
| #423 | Decision Tree | 1 3 5 6 7 10 20 | 5 |
| #422 | Hammer And Anvil | 2 4 5 6 7 30 | 5 |
| #421 | Kick Ups | 1 3 4 5 6 8 50 | 5 |
| #420 | Twirler Girl | 3 4 5 6 60 | 5 |
| #419 | Out Of It's Shell | 3 4 8 10 20 | 4 |
| #418 | The Shield | 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #417 | Cold Streak | 3 4 5 9 10 20 | 5 |
| #416 | Space Cannon | 1 2 3 5 6 | 5 |
| #415 | Goalie Making A Save | 1 2 3 8 10 40 50 | 5 |
| #414 | Six Flags | 2 4 6 8 9 30 | 5 |
| #413 | Put It All On Black | 2 3 4 5 8 30 | 5 |
| #412 | The Floor Is Lava | 1 2 5 6 7 | 5 |
| #411 | At Sixes And Sevens | 1 2 6 7 | 5 |
| #410 | Starry Night | 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 | 5 |
| #409 | Party In The Back | 2 4 5 6 7 8 10 | 5 |
| #408 | All Over The Map | 2 3 4 6 7 8 10 60 | 5 |
| #407 | 2026 | 0 2 3 4 6 7 30 | 5 |
| #406 | Confetti Cannon | 1 2 3 5 7 9 | 5 |
| #405 | Monoplane | 3 4 7 9 10 20 | 5 |
| #404 | Getting Muddy | 1 2 5 7 9 | 5 |
| #403 | Turning Tables | 2 3 4 6 8 50 | 5 |
| #402 | Sofa Session | 1 2 3 4 5 8 9 60 | 5 |
| #401 | Unwrapping | 1 2 4 6 7 8 9 | 5 |
| #400 | Christmas Cracker | 1 2 3 5 6 7 30 | 5 |
| #399 | Hark | 2 3 4 8 30 | 5 |
| #398 | Open Door | 1 3 7 9 20 | 5 |
| #397 | A Step Down | 1 3 4 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #396 | Hermit Crab | 1 3 5 9 10 | 5 |
| #395 | All Over The Place | 3 4 5 6 10 20 40 | 5 |
| #394 | Falling Girder | 2 3 4 5 6 | 5 |
| #393 | Fish In A Stream | 1 2 3 6 7 10 | 5 |
| #392 | Perfect 10 | 1 2 3 4 5 7 10 | 5 |
| #391 | Death Star, Here We Come | 2 3 4 5 7 10 20 | 5 |
| #390 | Most Of A Shell | 1 2 3 5 7 | 5 |
| #389 | Swinging Bag | 1 2 4 5 6 9 20 | 5 |
| #388 | Missing A Piece | 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 | 5 |
| #387 | Swimming Turtle | 3 4 6 8 10 30 | 5 |
| #386 | Play The Blues | 4 5 6 7 9 20 | 5 |
| #385 | Small Gap | 1 2 3 6 7 9 | 5 |
| #384 | Game Of Domino | 1 2 3 5 6 7 | 5 |
| #383 | Trianguleight | 2 3 4 6 8 10 | 5 |
| #382 | Crow's Nest View | 2 3 4 5 6 8 9 | 5 |
| #381 | Up Is Down | 1 2 3 6 8 20 40 | 5 |
| #380 | On The Ones And Twos | 1 2 5 6 | 5 |
| #379 | King Of The Road | 2 3 5 7 9 40 | 5 |
| #378 | Tall Sail | 1 2 5 8 9 | 5 |
| #377 | Bolt From The Blue | 1 2 4 5 7 8 20 | 5 |
| #376 | Half Good Half Bad | 2 3 9 40 50 | 5 |
| #375 | Building Off Of Plan | 3 5 6 7 9 10 | 5 |
| #374 | Lost In The Maze | 2 3 5 7 8 9 10 30 | 5 |
| #373 | Fish Food | 2 3 4 5 6 7 10 | 5 |
| #372 | Just Two Lines | 1 2 6 9 10 20 50 | 5 |
| #371 | Broken Umbrella | 1 2 3 5 7 | 5 |
| #370 | Take One Off The Top | 1 2 5 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #369 | Folding A Paper Cube | 1 3 6 8 10 | 5 |
| #368 | Diamond As Big As The Ritz | 2 3 5 7 8 9 20 30 | 5 |
| #367 | Tank | 1 2 5 8 9 20 30 40 | 5 |
| #366 | Jet Engine | 1 2 5 7 8 40 | 5 |
| #365 | Red Admiral | 1 2 4 6 7 8 50 | 5 |
| #364 | Freeze-Thaw Weathering | 1 2 3 5 6 7 40 | 5 |
| #363 | Lift Button (Going Up) | 1 3 4 6 8 9 | 5 |
| #362 | Two Bites Of The Orange | 2 3 4 5 7 | 5 |
| #361 | Crazy Paving | 1 3 4 6 7 10 | 5 |
| #360 | "6-7" | 6 7 | 5 |
| #359 | Drilling Down | 1 2 3 4 5 8 20 | 5 |
| #358 | Soggy Bottom | 1 2 3 7 10 30 | 5 |
| #357 | Spear And Shield | 2 3 4 5 8 9 | 5 |
| #356 | A Peckish Penguin | 1 2 4 5 6 | 5 |
| #355 | Big Toe | 2 7 9 10 30 | 5 |
| #354 | Just A Weather Balloon? | 1 3 4 5 6 7 9 | 5 |
| #353 | Scattergun Approach | 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 | 5 |
| #352 | Bendy Straw | 2 3 4 5 8 9 | 5 |
| #351 | Biggy In The Middle | 1 2 4 7 9 10 40 | 5 |
| #350 | Duck! | 1 3 4 8 9 | 5 |
| #349 | Seed Of Doubt | 3 4 6 8 10 | 5 |
| #348 | Two Up, Two Down | 2 4 6 7 40 | 5 |
| #347 | Raining Again | 1 2 3 8 9 40 70 | 5 |
| #346 | Drinking Vessel | 2 4 5 7 8 9 20 30 | 5 |
| #345 | A Tiny Demerit | 1 2 3 5 6 7 | 5 |
| #344 | Plaice | 3 4 5 6 7 9 60 | 5 |
| #343 | Jonah's Whale | 1 2 4 5 6 8 9 40 | 5 |
| #342 | Emperor Penguin | 2 4 5 7 8 20 | 5 |
| #341 | To The Moon | 1 2 4 5 6 | 5 |
| #340 | Pluses and Minuses | 2 4 6 8 9 10 20 40 | 5 |
| #339 | Take A Bite Out | 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #338 | Tortoise | 2 4 5 6 7 9 10 20 | 5 |
| #337 | Wind-Up | 1 2 4 7 40 | 5 |
| #336 | Collapsing Cone | 1 2 3 4 6 7 | 5 |
| #335 | 50 points up | 1 2 4 7 8 50 | 5 |
| #334 | Onwards, Upwards | 1 2 3 4 6 20 | 5 |
| #333 | Leaf Blower | 1 2 3 5 6 7 20 | 5 |
| #332 | Cresting Wave | 1 3 6 7 8 9 50 | 5 |
| #331 | Downward Facing Dogfish | 1 2 3 5 6 | 5 |
| #330 | Here Comes Rubble | 4 5 6 8 9 20 | 5 |
| #329 | Road Blocks | 1 2 3 5 6 10 | 5 |
| #328 | Air Freshener | 2 5 6 9 20 | 5 |
| #327 | Down Button | 1 3 5 8 9 10 | 5 |
| #326 | Floor-To-Ceiling | 3 4 5 6 10 20 | 5 |
| #325 | In The Blue Corner | 1 6 7 8 20 | 5 |
| #324 | 52 Carats | 1 3 5 6 7 10 20 | 5 |
| #323 | Empty On The Inside | 1 2 5 6 7 | 5 |
| #322 | Signal Buoy | 2 3 4 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #321 | Five Triangles | 2 3 5 6 8 9 20 | 5 |
| #320 | Pendulum | 1 2 4 6 7 20 | 5 |
| #319 | Gentle Landing | 2 3 4 5 6 7 10 | 5 |
| #318 | Opposing Sides | 1 2 4 5 9 20 40 | 5 |
| #317 | Unboxing | 1 2 3 7 9 20 | 5 |
| #316 | Ouroboros | 1 2 3 4 6 7 | 5 |
| #315 | Spin To Win | 1 2 4 5 6 | 5 |
| #314 | The Floor Is Lava | 1 2 5 6 9 | 5 |
| #313 | Gene Genie | 1 4 5 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #312 | Thumbs Up | 1 2 3 4 8 9 20 50 | 5 |
| #311 | Horn Of Plenty | 1 2 4 5 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #310 | Bolder Boulder | 1 2 4 5 6 | 5 |
| #309 | Compos Mentis | 2 3 4 6 8 9 | 5 |
| #308 | The Right Stuff | 1 3 5 7 8 20 | 5 |
| #307 | The Seventh Seal | 2 7 10 30 | 5 |
| #306 | The Hardest Hill | 1 2 4 5 8 | 5 |
| #305 | Circumflex | 1 2 3 4 5 9 10 | 5 |
| #304 | Iridium | 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #303 | Bridge Crossing | 2 3 4 5 8 10 | 5 |
| #302 | Out Of Place | 1 4 5 7 8 10 | 5 |
| #301 | Rule Of Three | 1 2 3 4 6 | 5 |
| #300 | Back And Forth | 2 5 9 20 30 | 5 |
| #299 | Miss Prism | 1 2 5 6 7 50 | 5 |
| #298 | Shadow Play | 2 3 5 6 30 80 90 | 5 |
| #297 | Robin Hood | 1 2 5 7 9 20 | 5 |
| #296 | Blender | 1 2 3 5 10 | 5 |
| #295 | Ham-fisted | 1 2 3 4 8 9 | 5 |
| #294 | Open Season | 2 5 8 9 20 | 5 |
| #293 | Charging Up | 1 2 3 4 5 7 | 5 |
| #292 | Campfire | 1 2 5 6 7 9 20 | 5 |
| #291 | Wooly Cow | 1 3 5 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #290 | Conch | 2 3 4 5 6 9 10 | 5 |
| #289 | Scatterplot | 1 2 3 5 8 9 20 | 5 |
| #288 | Five-Piece | 1 2 4 5 8 10 20 | 5 |
| #287 | Scuba Diver | 1 2 3 5 6 10 | 5 |
| #286 | Numbering | 1 5 7 8 9 10 | 5 |
| #285 | Drinking Vessel | 1 2 3 5 8 10 | 5 |
| #284 | Big Slide | 1 2 6 7 9 30 50 | 5 |
| #283 | Bigger Is Better | 1 2 3 6 8 9 60 | 5 |
| #282 | Cold Steel | 1 3 6 8 10 60 70 | 5 |
| #281 | Tench | 3 4 6 8 9 10 20 | 5 |
| #280 | Broken Pine | 1 2 4 5 6 | 5 |
| #279 | Mini Highlighter | 2 4 5 7 10 | 5 |
| #278 | Limbo | 1 5 7 8 10 20 | 5 |
| #277 | No Head For Numbers | 2 3 4 5 8 30 | 5 |
| #276 | Empty Bag | 1 2 3 6 7 10 40 | 5 |
| #275 | No Negativity Allowed | 1 2 4 5 6 | 5 |
| #274 | Swing By | 2 4 5 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #273 | Got The Blues? | 1 2 3 6 8 20 30 | 5 |
| #272 | Fairground Ride | 1 2 3 10 30 | 5 |
| #271 | Left Or Right? | 1 3 4 5 6 10 | 5 |
| #270 | Window Pane | 1 2 3 5 6 | 5 |
| #269 | A Small Leak | 1 3 5 6 7 10 | 5 |
| #268 | Nakatomi Plaza | 1 2 3 5 6 9 20 60 | 5 |
| #267 | Topspin | 2 3 5 6 8 9 10 | 5 |
| #266 | Leaning The Other Way | 3 4 5 6 8 10 | 5 |
| #265 | Blowing In The Wind | 1 2 4 5 8 10 | 5 |
| #264 | Well, Well, Well | 2 3 4 5 6 | 5 |
| #263 | Blue In The Face | 1 4 6 7 8 10 30 40 | 5 |
| #262 | Semaphore | 2 3 4 7 9 30 | 5 |
| #261 | Flowering Seed | 1 2 4 5 7 8 20 | 5 |
| #260 | Tiger Shell | 1 3 4 6 8 | 5 |
| #259 | En Pointe | 2 5 6 7 8 20 | 5 |
| #258 | Big Numbers Are Scary | 1 4 5 7 8 9 | 5 |
| #257 | Child's Play | 2 3 4 5 | 5 |
| #256 | Fish Out Of Water | 1 2 4 5 9 10 | 5 |
| #255 | Off Balance | 2 3 6 7 8 80 | 5 |
| #254 | Percolator | 2 3 8 9 30 | 5 |
| #253 | Pisa Party | 1 2 4 5 8 10 | 5 |
| #252 | Molten Triangle | 1 2 5 7 8 40 | 5 |
| #251 | Camberwell Beauty | 1 2 5 6 8 20 | 5 |
| #250 | Space Cadet | 5 6 7 8 9 10 | 5 |
| #249 | Glass Sculpture | 2 3 4 8 9 10 40 | 5 |
| #248 | Why Was Six Afraid Of Seven? | 1 3 4 6 7 8 9 | 5 |
| #247 | Quick, Your House Is Blowing Away! | 3 5 6 7 9 10 | 5 |
| #246 | Frog Face | 1 2 4 5 6 8 50 | 5 |
| #245 | The Scary Door | 2 3 4 6 7 20 30 | 5 |
| #244 | Fault Line | 2 3 4 7 8 9 | 5 |
| #243 | Two Slices Missing | 1 3 4 7 9 | 5 |
| #242 | Icy Shot | 3 4 5 6 7 9 20 | 5 |
| #241 | Come Here | 1 3 5 7 10 20 | 5 |
| #240 | Broken Umbrella | 1 3 4 5 8 10 20 | 5 |
| #239 | Cat's In The Cradle | 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 | 5 |
| #238 | Mothman | 1 2 5 6 9 10 | 5 |
| #237 | Burrowing Mole | 1 2 4 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #236 | Three Below Zero | 3 4 7 8 9 | 5 |
| #235 | The Balcony | 1 2 3 5 8 80 | 5 |
| #234 | Big Positives | 2 5 7 8 9 20 50 | 5 |
| #233 | Snicker-snack | 1 2 3 5 6 8 | 5 |
| #232 | Antifreeze | 3 4 5 6 8 10 | 5 |
| #231 | Contortionist | 1 4 5 7 8 10 | 5 |
| #230 | Blue Jay | 1 2 3 4 5 10 50 | 5 |
| #229 | The Go Ahead | 1 2 4 6 8 | 5 |
| #228 | Robot Bartender | 2 3 4 5 6 8 20 | 5 |
| #227 | We Can Canoe | 2 4 6 7 8 9 10 | 5 |
| #226 | Transient | 1 2 3 7 8 30 | 5 |
| #225 | Cartwheel | 1 2 3 4 5 7 | 5 |
| #224 | Observatory | 1 2 3 4 7 10 20 | 5 |
| #223 | Sliding Scale | 1 2 4 5 6 7 | 5 |
| #222 | Wall Of Frost | 1 2 3 7 20 40 | 5 |
| #221 | Heavy Pendant | 3 4 5 6 8 60 | 5 |
| #220 | Tree Pose | 1 2 4 6 8 9 | 5 |
| #219 | Double Diamond | 1 3 5 6 8 10 | 5 |
| #218 | Switchback | 1 5 6 7 8 10 | 5 |
| #217 | Dodging Drops | 3 5 8 9 10 20 | 5 |
| #216 | Can You Canoe? | 1 2 5 7 8 | 5 |
| #215 | Collateral | 1 2 3 4 5 6 | 5 |
| #214 | The Big Crunch | 1 2 3 4 6 7 20 | 5 |
| #213 | Western Gorilla | 1 2 3 20 30 40 | 5 |
| #212 | High Score | 1 2 3 5 6 40 | 5 |
| #211 | Off The Handle | 1 3 5 6 7 | 5 |
| #210 | Falling Flat | 1 2 5 7 9 10 40 | 5 |
| #209 | Turning Point | 2 3 5 6 7 10 | 5 |
| #208 | Magnifying Lens | 2 3 4 6 7 | 5 |
| #207 | Kick Me | 2 4 5 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #206 | The Rubicon | 2 3 4 6 10 20 40 | 5 |
| #205 | Momentum | 2 3 4 5 7 9 40 | 5 |
| #204 | Bulk Buying | 1 2 3 6 7 40 | 5 |
| #203 | Cave In | 1 2 4 5 7 10 | 5 |
| #202 | Snowy Owl | 2 3 4 5 6 20 | 5 |
| #201 | Sparkle | 1 2 3 5 7 | 5 |
| #200 | Crossed Out | 2 3 5 8 9 40 | 5 |
| #199 | Big Problems | 1 2 3 5 6 9 20 50 | 5 |
| #198 | Break Away | 1 2 3 4 5 9 | 5 |
| #197 | Scaling Up | 3 4 5 6 7 | 5 |
| #196 | Benched | 1 2 3 5 6 7 | 5 |
| #195 | Chemical Compound | 1 2 3 4 5 6 | 5 |
| #194 | Parallel Lives | 1 3 5 6 8 20 | 5 |
| #193 | Muscle Man | 1 2 4 6 8 10 | 5 |
| #192 | Tranquilizer | 1 4 5 6 7 8 70 | 5 |
| #191 | Forklift Truck | 1 2 3 4 6 9 | 5 |
| #190 | Spiral Staircase | 1 2 4 5 7 | 5 |
| #189 | Missing Piece | 1 2 3 4 8 9 20 | 5 |
| #188 | Protein Folding | 1 2 3 4 6 | 5 |
| #187 | Psychomachia | 3 4 5 9 20 | 5 |
| #186 | Travelling Salesman | 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 | 5 |
| #185 | Rough Diamond | 2 3 4 7 40 60 | 5 |
| #184 | Throwing Shade | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 | 5 |
| #183 | Mount Pleasant | 1 3 5 6 7 9 50 | 5 |
| #182 | Closed System | 1 2 4 5 8 50 | 5 |
| #181 | Tight Focus | 2 5 6 8 20 | 5 |
| #180 | Double Times | 2 3 5 6 8 | 5 |
| #179 | Dunce's Cap | 2 5 7 8 9 10 20 40 | 5 |
| #178 | Hard Right Turn | 1 2 4 5 7 8 | 5 |
| #177 | Smoke Signal | 2 3 4 5 8 9 20 | 5 |
| #176 | Click Into Place | 1 2 4 6 9 10 | 5 |
| #175 | Legal Tender | 2 3 4 6 7 10 | 5 |
| #174 | Hole New World | 1 3 4 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #173 | Unbalanced | 1 2 3 4 5 9 | 5 |
| #172 | Doom Guy | 1 2 4 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #171 | Height Difference | 1 2 3 4 6 9 10 20 | 5 |
| #170 | Iguanodon | 1 2 3 4 8 9 10 | 5 |
| #169 | State Machine | 2 3 4 5 6 7 | 5 |
| #168 | Shadowboxing | 1 2 4 7 10 | 5 |
| #167 | Compression Sock | 1 2 5 6 8 20 | 5 |
| #166 | Press Play | 1 3 5 6 8 9 | 5 |
| #165 | Parasol | 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #164 | Angry Hornet | 2 3 4 5 6 7 | 5 |
| #163 | Leaky Boat | 1 2 3 4 8 20 40 | 5 |
| #162 | 8 Below Zero | 1 4 8 9 20 | 5 |
| #161 | Tower Bridge | 1 2 3 4 5 10 | 5 |
| #160 | Guitar Pick | 1 2 3 4 5 7 10 | 5 |
| #159 | 20 Page Book | 1 2 3 4 8 20 | 5 |
| #158 | Quack, Quack | 2 4 5 6 7 10 20 | 5 |
| #157 | Tiny Cuts | 1 2 4 5 9 20 | 5 |
| #156 | Sting In The Tail | 1 3 4 7 8 9 10 | 5 |
| #155 | Blue Butterfly | 3 5 6 7 8 10 30 | 5 |
| #154 | Glass Of Water | 4 6 7 8 9 10 | 5 |
| #153 | Scalene Triangle | 1 4 50 60 70 | 5 |
| #152 | Big Shoes | 2 3 4 7 8 10 | 5 |
| #151 | Two-Seat Canoe | 1 2 3 4 5 6 | 5 |
| #150 | Rocket To Mars | 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 | 5 |
| #149 | Cave Painting | 1 2 3 5 6 7 10 | 5 |
| #148 | Camelot | 1 2 3 4 5 10 20 | 5 |
| #147 | Blink-182 | 1 2 3 8 10 | 5 |
| #146 | Ring-Pull | 2 4 5 6 8 | 5 |
| #145 | Mooring Buoy | 3 4 5 6 7 9 | 5 |
| #144 | Ups And Downs | 1 3 4 5 7 8 10 30 | 5 |
| #143 | Bag Of Tricks | 1 2 3 4 5 | 5 |
| #142 | A Big Plus | 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 | 5 |
| #141 | Blue Shield | 2 3 4 5 7 8 20 50 | 5 |
| #140 | Saxophone | 3 4 5 7 8 20 | 5 |
| #139 | Square Hole | 1 3 4 7 8 20 | 5 |
| #138 | Bonbon | 2 4 7 9 10 40 | 5 |
| #137 | Dancing Mood | 1 3 5 7 9 30 | 5 |
| #136 | Attic Hatch | 1 2 3 6 8 9 70 | 5 |
| #135 | Mirror On The Wall | 1 2 3 5 7 8 | 5 |
| #134 | Foraging Bear | 1 2 3 7 10 40 | 5 |
| #133 | No.3 Pencil | 2 3 4 7 8 9 | 5 |
| #132 | April 1st | 1 2 3 5 | 5 |
| #131 | Round Peg | 2 4 6 7 10 20 | 5 |
| #130 | Cold Fish | 1 2 5 6 7 8 20 | 5 |
| #129 | Bridge To Nowhere | 1 2 3 5 6 60 70 | 5 |
| #128 | Fanfare | 1 2 3 4 5 6 9 20 | 5 |
| #127 | Horse Latitudes | 2 3 7 8 30 | 5 |
| #126 | Throwing Axe | 2 3 4 5 10 | 5 |
| #125 | Symmetrical Moth | 2 3 10 30 | 5 |
| #124 | Tap, Tap | 2 3 7 8 9 30 | 5 |
| #123 | Too Many Minus Twos | 1 2 6 8 9 10 | 5 |
| #122 | About To Slide | 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 | 5 |
| #121 | Three's A Crowd | 2 3 5 7 10 | 5 |
| #120 | Shark Fin | 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 | 5 |
| #119 | Bullseye | 1 2 3 4 5 6 50 | 5 |
| #118 | Cornucopia | 1 2 4 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #117 | Four Arrows | 1 2 4 6 8 9 | 5 |
| #116 | Double Header | 1 2 3 4 5 7 10 20 | 5 |
| #115 | Broken Heart | 1 4 6 7 8 10 20 | 5 |
| #114 | Hanging Basket | 1 2 6 7 10 20 40 | 5 |
| #113 | Sword And Shield | 1 4 5 6 10 | 5 |
| #112 | Twenty Steps | 3 5 7 9 10 20 | 5 |
| #111 | Hot Air Balloon | 3 5 7 9 | 5 |
| #110 | Raise A Glass | 2 3 6 7 20 | 5 |
| #109 | Bison | 1 2 4 5 6 7 | 5 |
| #108 | Motte And Bailey | 1 2 4 5 9 10 50 | 5 |
| #107 | Optimus Prime | 1 2 3 7 9 10 40 | 5 |
| #106 | Laser Sounds | 2 3 4 6 8 50 | 5 |
| #105 | Nunchucks | 1 4 6 7 9 10 | 5 |
| #104 | Blue Jay | 1 2 3 4 6 7 10 | 5 |
| #103 | One Rung Ladder | 1 2 4 6 7 | 5 |
| #102 | Light Fitting | 2 3 6 7 8 9 10 | 5 |
| #101 | Magnifying Glass | 2 3 4 5 7 8 20 30 | 5 |
| #100 | Wheely Painful | 1 2 3 5 6 30 | 5 |
| #99 | Rainy Thursday | 1 2 3 7 8 10 | 5 |
| #98 | Stepping In Snow | 3 8 9 10 20 40 | 5 |
| #97 | Gemstone | 1 2 3 4 6 9 | 5 |
| #96 | Down The Drain | 3 5 6 8 10 20 | 5 |
| #95 | Mission To Mar | 1 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 | 5 |
| #94 | All The Eggs | 1 2 3 6 9 50 | 5 |
| #93 | I, Robot | 1 3 5 6 7 9 | 5 |
| #92 | Sailing West | 1 2 4 5 6 7 8 | 5 |
| #91 | Touch The Sky | 1 2 3 6 7 20 | 5 |
| #90 | Mr. Penguin | 3 5 6 7 9 10 | 5 |
| #89 | Razor-Sharp | 1 5 6 7 8 9 | 5 |
| #88 | Stairway To Heaven | 3 5 6 8 9 10 20 60 | 5 |
| #87 | Four Sticks | 2 3 4 10 20 40 | 5 |
| #86 | Heartbreaker | 2 4 5 8 9 10 | 5 |
| #85 | Good Times Bad Times | 1 2 3 4 7 9 | 5 |
| #84 | Rock and Roll | 2 3 9 50 80 90 | 5 |
| #83 | No Quarter | 2 3 4 8 9 10 | 5 |
| #82 | The Ocean | 2 4 5 8 20 | 5 |
| #81 | Lawnmower | 2 3 4 7 8 10 | 5 |
| #80 | Twisted | 2 4 6 7 8 10 | 5 |
| #79 | Plato's Cave | 1 2 3 5 7 9 10 | 5 |
| #78 | 90s Kid | 1 2 5 7 9 30 | 5 |
| #77 | Beep Boop | 2 3 4 7 20 40 | 5 |
| #76 | Road Bridge | 1 2 5 6 9 10 | 5 |
| #75 | Jewel | 2 4 6 9 10 | 5 |
| #74 | Cyclops | 1 2 5 6 7 8 10 | 5 |
| #73 | Satellite Dish | 3 4 6 7 8 10 | 5 |
| #72 | Gold Mine | 2 4 5 6 9 10 40 | 5 |
| #71 | The 39 Steps | 1 2 3 6 8 10 40 | 5 |
| #70 | Year Of The Snake | 1 3 4 8 9 10 20 | 5 |
| #69 | He Shoots He Scores | 1 2 3 4 5 8 20 | 5 |
| #68 | Bassinet | 1 2 3 4 8 9 | 5 |
| #67 | Composite Bow | 1 4 6 7 10 20 60 | 5 |
| #66 | Odd One Out | 1 2 4 6 8 10 | 5 |
| #65 | Zigzag | 1 2 3 7 8 9 20 | 5 |
| #64 | Snail Shell | 2 3 5 7 8 | 5 |
| #63 | Fifty Business | 2 5 6 7 9 50 | 5 |
| #62 | Catapult | 1 2 3 7 8 9 | 5 |
| #61 | Climbing The Range | 2 3 5 7 8 | 5 |
| #60 | Rocking Horse | 1 2 4 6 10 60 80 | 5 |
FAQ
Number Salad — Questions
What is Number Salad?
Number Salad is the arithmetic mode of Word Salad. Instead of letters you get a handful of numbered tiles and a list of target numbers, and you must combine the tiles with basic arithmetic to hit each target exactly.
How many Number Salad puzzles are there?
This archive holds 593 puzzles containing 2,964 individual targets, each with a worked solution.
Can a target have more than one solution?
Often yes — several tile combinations can reach the same number. The solution shown for each target is one that works; if yours differs but arrives at the same total, it is equally correct.
Do I have to use every tile?
No. Each target uses as many tiles as it needs, and the harder targets late in a puzzle usually pull in more of them. Tiles are reusable across targets but not within a single expression.
Pro tips
3 Tips for Number Salad
01
Work the biggest target first
Large targets need the large tiles, and there are only so many ways to reach them. Pin those down and the small targets fall out of whatever is left — going the other way round usually strands you with tiles that cannot make the big number.
02
Multiply to get close, add to land
Almost every worked solution in this archive follows the same shape: one multiplication to get within striking distance, then an addition or subtraction to hit the target exactly. Boards here carry 5 targets on average, so that pattern repeats several times per puzzle.
03
A tile is used once per expression
Each target is solved on its own, and within a single expression a tile can only appear once — but the full tile set resets for the next target on the same board. If an expression looks impossible, count your tiles again before you change approach. The word side of the game is over in the 23 themed categories.
How we check
Verified Answers, Not Guesses
How we verify Number Salad
Every expression in this archive is evaluated before it publishes: the arithmetic must actually produce the target, and it must only use tiles the puzzle hands you. 2,964 targets across 593 puzzles have been through that check. Puzzles the game has not filled in yet are left out rather than published empty.
Reviewed by Priya Raghunathan, Word Games Editor at Puzzle Solved. Our full checking routine is written up in the methodology, and the standards we hold every page to are in the editorial policy.
Last checked — September 4, 2026Numbers
Word Salad by the numbers
593puzzles solved
2,964targets worked out
5avg per puzzle
#653newest puzzle
How to play
How to Solve a Word Salad Board
Three moves that clear a Word Salad board, in the order worth making them.
STEP 01
Read every category name first
The category names are the whole clue. Reading all of them before you move a single word tells you which groups are narrow and which are broad, and the narrow one is always the cheapest place to start.
STEP 02
Place the words only one group can take
Some words fit two categories on sight and some fit exactly one. Placing the unambiguous ones first shrinks the pool for everything else, which is what turns a stuck board into a solved one.
STEP 03
A full category is a finished category
Once a group has all its slots filled, nothing else belongs in it — and every word you have left belongs somewhere else. Working by elimination beats re-reading the same word against the same category.