January 2026.
1 Jan 2026 to 31 Jan 2026. Figures cover the dated records listed below and update when more verified records are added.
Difficulty this month
| Difficulty | Minimum moves | Puzzles | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | 5 or fewer | 19 | 61.3% |
| Moderate | 6 | 7 | 22.6% |
| Tricky | 7 | 1 | 3.2% |
| Hard | 8 | 4 | 12.9% |
| Expert | 9 or more | 0 | 0.0% |
Hardest puzzles in January 2026.
“Hardest” here means the largest shortest-path distance, 8 moves. 4 records reach that distance; every tie is listed.
- #169 · QUAD — 30 Jan 2026, 8 moves, Hard
- #161 · OWLS — 22 Jan 2026, 8 moves, Hard
- #153 · EVER — 14 Jan 2026, 8 moves, Hard
- #147 · EVEN — 8 Jan 2026, 8 moves, Hard
Every included puzzle
| Puzzle | Date | Minimum moves | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| #170 · SAVE | 31 Jan 2026 | 5 | Easy |
| #169 · QUAD | 30 Jan 2026 | 8 | Hard |
| #168 · PINE | 29 Jan 2026 | 5 | Easy |
| #167 · PINT | 28 Jan 2026 | 6 | Moderate |
| #166 · ATOM | 27 Jan 2026 | 5 | Easy |
| #165 · PING | 26 Jan 2026 | 6 | Moderate |
| #164 · CITE | 25 Jan 2026 | 5 | Easy |
| #163 · PINK | 24 Jan 2026 | 6 | Moderate |
| #162 · RIGS | 23 Jan 2026 | 5 | Easy |
| #161 · OWLS | 22 Jan 2026 | 8 | Hard |
| #160 · ROSY | 21 Jan 2026 | 5 | Easy |
| #159 · HAVE | 20 Jan 2026 | 6 | Moderate |
| #158 · JAMS | 19 Jan 2026 | 5 | Easy |
| #157 · ROTE | 18 Jan 2026 | 5 | Easy |
| #156 · EGGS | 17 Jan 2026 | 5 | Easy |
| #155 · BUNS | 16 Jan 2026 | 5 | Easy |
| #154 · SHAG | 15 Jan 2026 | 5 | Easy |
| #153 · EVER | 14 Jan 2026 | 8 | Hard |
| #152 · GOSH | 13 Jan 2026 | 5 | Easy |
| #151 · APEX | 12 Jan 2026 | 7 | Tricky |
| #150 · HATS | 11 Jan 2026 | 5 | Easy |
| #149 · WENT | 10 Jan 2026 | 6 | Moderate |
| #148 · BULB | 9 Jan 2026 | 5 | Easy |
| #147 · EVEN | 8 Jan 2026 | 8 | Hard |
| #146 · GIFT | 7 Jan 2026 | 5 | Easy |
| #145 · PECK | 6 Jan 2026 | 5 | Easy |
| #144 · MULE | 5 Jan 2026 | 5 | Easy |
| #143 · GIGA | 4 Jan 2026 | 6 | Moderate |
| #142 · JEST | 3 Jan 2026 | 5 | Easy |
| #141 · BYTE | 2 Jan 2026 | 6 | Moderate |
| #140 · BULK | 1 Jan 2026 | 5 | Easy |
Scope and calculation
Records with an unconfirmed date are excluded from monthly totals. The full archive contains 1 such record.
Each listed puzzle contributes its independently calculated minimum move count once. The average of 5.68 is 176 minimum moves divided by 31 records, rounded to two decimal places. All puzzles tied at the maximum are shown above.
These distance-based labels use the same five thresholds throughout the site. They describe the checked word graph, rather than player completion rates. Read the verification method or compare other months.