A Set of Words (Solution)

by David Farhi

These are each boggle grids, and the clued words can be found in them:

XNFI        FLEX
?FND        NEXT
LMTN        MINX
XEEX


?SRA        SPHINX
HKNU        QUARKS
DI?X        ZODIAC
O?AC


DE?F        QUIETS
EZIT        EXUDED
D?ES        FREEZE
QXSE


TQU?        ZEBRAS
TTF?        QUAFFS
?NAF        EXTANT
?E?R


E?OX        TOXIC
Z?GI        QUALM
ARL?        GRAZE
IQU?


NHND        HAZARD
OARI        PLAZA
AZAN        ORZA
LPRO


OOIP        WHIZ
TWZH        UNZIP
HNUI        OOZING
IZGN


MILC        TAXI
AXEG        AXLES
TIRS        CLIMAX
XAID

The unused letters spell 'FIND SET IN NINTH GRID'.

The ? letters can then be gathered together to make a ninth grid:

PTRA
IMRS
XUQC
ZZBA

We are supposed to find a set in this grid. The original triplets of worse are always either all the same length, or one length 4, one 5, and one 6. In fact, there are four such axes along which they can be grouped into 3 bins, just like SET cards. The axes are:

  • Length (4/5/6 letters)
  • Number of vowels (1/2/3)
  • Contains Q/X/Z
  • Adjective/Verb/Noun

(You had to use these patterns to solve the first 8 grids too.)

There is a unique set in the ninth grid: CRUX, ACQUIT, ABUZZ. The unused letters are:

P*RA
*M*S
****
****

The answer is PRAMS.