Clues by Sam Feb 08, 2026 Answer – Full Solution Explained
Hard·Solved
A1
👮♀️
Alice
cop
B1
👮♀️
Betsy
cop
C1
👩⚕️
Donna
doctor
D1
👩💻
Emma
coder
A2
👨⚕️
Floyd
doctor
B2
💂♂️
Gabe
guard
C2
👷♂️
Hank
builder
D2
👷♂️
Isaac
builder
A3
💂♀️
Jane
guard
B3
👨🍳
Kyle
cook
C3
👩🎨
Mary
painter
D3
👨🎨
Nick
painter
A4
👨🍳
Oscar
cook
B4
👷♂️
Paul
builder
C4
👩💻
Ruth
coder
D4
👩🎨
Sarah
painter
A5
👮♀️
Uma
cop
B5
💂♀️
Vera
guard
C5
👨💼
Wally
clerk
D5
👩💼
Xena
clerk
Final Board State
This puzzle is fully solved.
All characters have been identified as innocent or criminal based on today's clues.
Final Result
Innocent 6Criminal 14Unknown 0
See how each clue leads to the final result
Answer (spoilers)
A quick reference of the final identities. For explanations, see the reasoning above.
▶ Answer list (spoilers)
Innocent · 6
[ A1 ] [ C2 ] [ A3 ] [ B4 ] [ B5 ] [ D5 ]
Criminal · 14
[ B1 ] [ C1 ] [ D1 ] [ A2 ] [ B2 ] [ D2 ] [ B3 ] [ C3 ] [ D3 ] [ A4 ] [ C4 ] [ D4 ] [ A5 ] [ C5 ]
Clues
Raw text reference from the original puzzle
Original clue texts as provided in today's puzzle. No deductions or interpretations are applied here.
▶ Raw clues (original text)
A1 · Alice
"I hope prison teaches these criminals... something."
B1 · Betsy
"Only 1 of the 3 innocents neighboring Kyle is my neighbor"
C1 · Donna
"Drat! I thought I could do what ever I want with no consequences!"
D1 · Emma
"Only 1 of the 2 innocents neighboring Betsy is Donna's neighbor"
A2 · Floyd
"Row 5 is the only row with exactly 2 criminals"
B2 · Gabe
"Kyle and Wally have only one innocent neighbor in common"
C2 · Hank
"Only one person in a corner has exactly 2 innocent neighbors"
D2 · Isaac
"Only 1 of the 3 innocents neighboring Gabe is Donna's neighbor"
A3 · Jane
"Some modesty wouldn't hurt you know..."
B3 · Kyle
"What a drag! I thought there weren't any witnesses."
C3 · Mary
"This sucks! I thought I was practically perfect in every way!"
D3 · Nick
"Exactly 2 of the 3 innocents neighboring Ruth are in row 5"
A4 · Oscar
"There's an odd number of innocents neighboring Vera"
B4 · Paul
"Sounds like some criminals think too highly of themselves."
C4 · Ruth
"Oh, fudge. I thoguth it was the perfect crime."
D4 · Sarah
"Oh, bummer. I thought I wiped all my fingerprints."
A5 · Uma
"Ah, dang it! I thought I hid my tracks."
B5 · Vera
"Paul has exactly 2 innocent neighbors"
C5 · Wally
"Rats! I thought I was invisible."
D5 · Xena
"There are no innocents in row 1 who neighbor Donna"
Answer Explanation
Full reasoning transcript (reference)
This is the full reasoning transcript for today's puzzle. For an interactive walkthrough, use Replay above.
▶ View full transcript (18 steps)
B1 · Betsy → CRIMINAL, D1 · Emma → CRIMINAL
Because: Donna is at C1, and the only people in row 1 who neighbor her are Betsy at B1 (directly left) and Emma at D1 (directly right). Xena’s clue says that none of the row 1 neighbors of Donna are innocents. That means Betsy and Emma cannot be innocent. Therefore, we can determine that B1 Betsy is CRIMINAL and D1 Emma is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"There are no innocents in row 1 who neighbor Donna" — Xena (D5)
A2 · Floyd → CRIMINAL
Because: Floyd (A2), Gabe (B2), and Hank (C2) are the only people who are neighbors of both Betsy (B1) and Kyle (B3). Betsy’s clue says Kyle has exactly three innocent neighbors, and exactly one of those three innocents is also Betsy’s neighbor, so exactly one of Floyd, Gabe, and Hank is innocent. Emma’s clue says Betsy has exactly two innocent neighbors, and exactly one of those two is a neighbor of Donna (C1); among Betsy’s neighbors, only Gabe (B2) and Hank (C2) are also Donna’s neighbors, so exactly one of Gabe or Hank is innocent. Since the single innocent among Floyd, Gabe, and Hank must be either Gabe or Hank, Floyd cannot be the innocent one. Therefore, we can determine that A2 Floyd is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"Only 1 of the 3 innocents neighboring Kyle is my neighbor" — Betsy (B1)
"Only 1 of the 2 innocents neighboring Betsy is Donna's neighbor" — Emma (D1)
D2 · Isaac → CRIMINAL
Because: Betsy’s clue is about Kyle’s neighbors, and the only neighbors Kyle has who are also neighbors of Betsy are Floyd at A2, Gabe at B2, and Hank at C2. Since Floyd at A2 is already known to be a criminal, the “only 1” innocent among Betsy’s neighbors must be either Gabe or Hank, which means exactly one of B2 and C2 is a criminal. That guarantees row 2 already contains Floyd plus exactly one of (Gabe, Hank) as criminals, so row 2 would have exactly 2 criminals unless Isaac at D2 is also a criminal. Floyd’s clue says row 5 is the only row with exactly 2 criminals, so row 2 cannot be a 2-criminal row. Therefore, we can determine that D2 Isaac is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"Only 1 of the 3 innocents neighboring Kyle is my neighbor" — Betsy (B1)
"Row 5 is the only row with exactly 2 criminals" — Floyd (A2)
C2 · Hank → INNOCENT
Because: Gabe is at B2, and his neighbors include Betsy at B1, Donna at C1, and Hank at C2 among others. Donna’s neighbors (excluding Donna herself) that also sit next to Gabe are only Betsy and Hank. Betsy is already known to be a criminal, so she cannot be one of the innocents neighboring Gabe who is also a neighbor of Donna. Since Isaac’s clue says exactly one of Gabe’s three neighboring innocents is Donna’s neighbor, that one must be Hank. Therefore, we can determine that C2 Hank is INNOCENT.
Clue:
"Only 1 of the 3 innocents neighboring Gabe is Donna's neighbor" — Isaac (D2)
B2 · Gabe → CRIMINAL
Because: Kyle is at B3, and Betsy at B1 is neighbors with A2, B2, and C2 among Kyle’s neighboring squares. Betsy’s clue says that Kyle has exactly three neighboring innocents in total, and exactly one of those three innocents is also a neighbor of Betsy. We already know Hank at C2 is an innocent, and C2 is a neighbor of both Kyle and Betsy, so Hank must be the one and only innocent that is also Betsy’s neighbor. That means Gabe at B2, who is also a neighbor of both Kyle and Betsy, cannot be innocent. Therefore, we can determine that B2 Gabe is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"Only 1 of the 3 innocents neighboring Kyle is my neighbor" — Betsy (B1)
D3 · Nick → CRIMINAL
Because: Gabe is at B2, and his neighbors are A1, A2, A3, B1, B3, C1, C2, and C3. Isaac’s clue says Gabe has exactly 3 innocent neighbors, and since Hank at C2 is already one of them (and A2 and B1 are already criminals), that means exactly 2 of {A1, A3, B3, C1, C3} are innocent. Betsy is at B1, and Emma’s clue says Betsy has exactly 2 innocent neighbors; with Hank (C2) already innocent and Floyd (A2) and Gabe (B2) already criminals, exactly one of {A1, Donna at C1} is the second innocent neighbor of Betsy. So within Gabe’s set {A1, A3, B3, C1, C3}, the pair {A1, C1} contributes exactly 1 innocent, which forces {A3, B3, C3} to contain exactly 1 innocent and therefore exactly 2 criminals. That means row 3 already contains exactly 2 criminals among A3, B3, and C3. Floyd’s clue says row 5 is the only row with exactly 2 criminals, so row 3 cannot end up with exactly 2 criminals; therefore D3 (Nick) must be criminal to raise row 3’s total above 2. Therefore, we can determine that D3 Nick is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"Only 1 of the 2 innocents neighboring Betsy is Donna's neighbor" — Emma (D1)
"Row 5 is the only row with exactly 2 criminals" — Floyd (A2)
"Only 1 of the 3 innocents neighboring Gabe is Donna's neighbor" — Isaac (D2)
A5 · Uma → CRIMINAL
Because: In row 5 we have Uma at A5, Vera at B5, Wally at C5, and Xena at D5, and we already know Xena is innocent. Floyd’s clue says row 5 has exactly 2 criminals (and no other row has exactly 2). Nick’s clue says Ruth has exactly 3 innocent neighbors, and exactly 2 of those are in row 5; since Xena is one of Ruth’s row-5 neighbors and is already innocent, exactly one of Vera or Wally must also be innocent, which means exactly one of Vera or Wally is criminal. That gives row 5 only one criminal from (Vera, Wally), so to reach exactly 2 criminals in row 5, Uma must be the second criminal. Therefore, we can determine that A5 Uma is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"Row 5 is the only row with exactly 2 criminals" — Floyd (A2)
"Exactly 2 of the 3 innocents neighboring Ruth are in row 5" — Nick (D3)
B3 · Kyle → CRIMINAL
Because: Ruth is at C4, and her non-row-5 neighbors are Kyle at B3, Mary at C3, Paul at B4, and Sarah at D4. Nick’s clue says Ruth has exactly 3 innocent neighbors and exactly 2 of them are in row 5, so exactly 1 of those four people (Kyle, Mary, Paul, Sarah) is innocent. If Kyle were that one innocent, then Mary, Paul, and Sarah would all be criminals; with Nick already a criminal at D3, Floyd’s clue that only row 5 has exactly 2 criminals would force row 3 to avoid having exactly 2 criminals by making Jane at A3 a criminal as well. Betsy’s clue says Kyle has exactly 3 innocent neighbors, but around Kyle we already have Floyd and Gabe as criminals at A2 and B2, and with Jane, Mary, and Paul forced to be criminals too, the only way for Kyle to reach 3 innocent neighbors is for both Oscar at A4 and Ruth at C4 to be innocent. That would make row 4 have exactly two criminals (Paul and Sarah), which Floyd’s clue forbids because row 5 is the only row with exactly 2 criminals. Therefore, we can determine that B3 Kyle is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"Only 1 of the 3 innocents neighboring Kyle is my neighbor" — Betsy (B1)
"Row 5 is the only row with exactly 2 criminals" — Floyd (A2)
"Exactly 2 of the 3 innocents neighboring Ruth are in row 5" — Nick (D3)
D4 · Sarah → CRIMINAL
Because: Kyle at B3 has exactly 3 innocent neighbors, and Betsy’s clue says that among those 3 innocents, the only one who is also a neighbor of Betsy is Hank; since Hank is already innocent and Floyd and Gabe (the other shared neighbors) are criminals, Hank must be one of Kyle’s 3 innocent neighbors. Gabe at B2 also has exactly 3 innocent neighbors, and Isaac’s clue similarly forces the only one of those who is also a neighbor of Donna to be Hank, so besides Hank there are exactly 2 innocents among Alice, Donna, Jane, and Mary. Floyd’s clue says row 5 is the only row with exactly 2 criminals; row 3 already has Kyle and Nick as criminals, so Jane and Mary cannot both be innocent, and row 1 already has Betsy and Emma as criminals so Alice and Donna cannot both be innocent either. That makes Jane and Mary split 1 innocent and 1 criminal, and it also makes Alice and Donna split 1 innocent and 1 criminal, so Kyle’s remaining two innocent neighbors must be exactly one of Jane or Mary plus exactly one of Oscar, Paul, or Ruth, meaning two of Oscar, Paul, and Ruth are criminals. Row 4 then already contains exactly 2 criminals among Oscar, Paul, and Ruth, and since row 4 is not allowed to be a row with exactly 2 criminals, Sarah at D4 must be criminal to bring row 4 up to 3 criminals. Therefore, we can determine that D4 Sarah is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"Only 1 of the 3 innocents neighboring Kyle is my neighbor" — Betsy (B1)
"Row 5 is the only row with exactly 2 criminals" — Floyd (A2)
"Only 1 of the 3 innocents neighboring Gabe is Donna's neighbor" — Isaac (D2)
A4 · Oscar → CRIMINAL
Because: Kyle is at B3 and Wally is at C5, and the only two people who are neighbors of both of them are Paul at B4 and Ruth at C4. Gabe’s clue says Kyle and Wally have only one innocent neighbor in common, so among Paul and Ruth exactly one is innocent and the other is criminal. That guarantees row 4 already contains Sarah at D4 as a criminal and also at least one more criminal (either Paul or Ruth), so if Oscar at A4 were innocent then row 4 would have exactly two criminals. Floyd’s clue says row 5 is the only row with exactly 2 criminals, so row 4 cannot have exactly two criminals, which forces Oscar to be criminal. Therefore, we can determine that A4 Oscar is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"Row 5 is the only row with exactly 2 criminals" — Floyd (A2)
"Kyle and Wally have only one innocent neighbor in common" — Gabe (B2)
C5 · Wally → CRIMINAL
Because: Kyle at B3 and Wally at C5 share exactly two common neighbors: Paul at B4 and Ruth at C4. Gabe’s clue says Kyle and Wally have only one innocent neighbor in common, so exactly one of Paul and Ruth is innocent. Oscar’s clue says Vera at B5 has an odd number of innocent neighbors, and Vera’s neighbors are Oscar, Uma, Paul, Ruth, and Wally; since Oscar and Uma are already criminals, the innocent-neighbor count depends only on Paul, Ruth, and Wally. Because Paul and Ruth already contribute exactly one innocent between them, Wally must be criminal to keep the total number of innocents around Vera odd. Therefore, we can determine that C5 Wally is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"Kyle and Wally have only one innocent neighbor in common" — Gabe (B2)
"There's an odd number of innocents neighboring Vera" — Oscar (A4)
B5 · Vera → INNOCENT
Because: Ruth is at C4, so her row 5 neighbors are B5 Vera, C5 Wally, and D5 Xena. Nick’s clue says that among the three innocents neighboring Ruth, exactly two of them are in row 5, so there must be exactly two innocents in that set of three row 5 neighbors. Xena is already known to be innocent, and Wally is already known to be a criminal, so the only way to have two innocents in row 5 is for Vera to be the second one. Therefore, we can determine that B5 Vera is INNOCENT.
Clue:
"Exactly 2 of the 3 innocents neighboring Ruth are in row 5" — Nick (D3)
B4 · Paul → INNOCENT
Because: Kyle at B3 has exactly three innocent neighbors, and we already know Hank at C2 is one of them. That means two more of Kyle’s neighbors among Jane (A3), Mary (C3), Paul (B4), and Ruth (C4) must be innocent. Vera’s clue says Paul has exactly two innocent neighbors; since Vera herself is an innocent neighbor of Paul, only one of Jane, Mary, and Ruth can be innocent. So Jane, Mary, and Ruth can supply only one of the two additional innocent neighbors Kyle needs, which forces Paul to be the other one. Therefore, we can determine that B4 Paul is INNOCENT.
Clue:
"Only 1 of the 3 innocents neighboring Kyle is my neighbor" — Betsy (B1)
"Paul has exactly 2 innocent neighbors" — Vera (B5)
C4 · Ruth → CRIMINAL
Because: Row 5 currently has exactly two criminals, A5 and C5, with B5 and D5 innocent, so Floyd’s clue tells us that no other row can end up with exactly two criminals. In row 4, A4 and D4 are already criminals, and B4 is already innocent, so the only undecided person in that row is C4 (Ruth). If Ruth were innocent, row 4 would have exactly two criminals (A4 and D4), which is not allowed because row 5 is supposed to be the only row with exactly two criminals. Therefore, we can determine that C4 Ruth is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"Row 5 is the only row with exactly 2 criminals" — Floyd (A2)
C3 · Mary → CRIMINAL
Because: Ruth is at C4, so her neighbors are Kyle (B3), Mary (C3), Nick (D3), Paul (B4), Sarah (D4), Vera (B5), Wally (C5), and Xena (D5). Nick’s clue talks about “the 3 innocents neighboring Ruth,” which means Ruth has exactly three innocent neighbors in total. We already know three of Ruth’s neighbors are innocents: Paul, Vera, and Xena, so every other neighbor of Ruth must not be innocent. Mary is one of Ruth’s other neighbors, so she must be a criminal. Therefore, we can determine that C3 Mary is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"Exactly 2 of the 3 innocents neighboring Ruth are in row 5" — Nick (D3)
A3 · Jane → INNOCENT
Because: Kyle is at B3, and his neighbors are A2 Floyd, B2 Gabe, C2 Hank, A3 Jane, C3 Mary, A4 Oscar, B4 Paul, and C4 Ruth. Among these, Floyd, Gabe, Mary, Oscar, and Ruth are already criminals, while Hank and Paul are innocents, leaving Jane as the only unknown neighbor of Kyle. Betsy’s clue says there are exactly three innocents neighboring Kyle, and only one of those three is also a neighbor of Betsy. Betsy’s neighbors include Hank (at C2) but do not include Paul (B4) or Jane (A3), so Hank must be the one innocent neighbor shared with Betsy. Since Hank and Paul account for only two innocent neighbors of Kyle and the clue requires three, Jane must be the third innocent neighboring Kyle. Therefore, we can determine that A3 Jane is INNOCENT.
Clue:
"Only 1 of the 3 innocents neighboring Kyle is my neighbor" — Betsy (B1)
"Kyle and Wally have only one innocent neighbor in common" — Gabe (B2)
C1 · Donna → CRIMINAL
Because: The corners are A1 (Alice), D1 (Emma), A5 (Uma), and D5 (Xena), and the clue says exactly one corner person has exactly 2 innocent neighbors. Uma at A5 has neighbors A4 (Oscar), B4 (Paul), and B5 (Vera), and Paul and Vera are both innocent, so A5 already has exactly 2 innocent neighbors. That means no other corner can have exactly 2 innocent neighbors; at D1 (Emma), the neighbors are C2 (Hank, innocent), D2 (Isaac, criminal), and C1 (Donna), so D1 would have exactly 2 innocent neighbors only if Donna were innocent. Therefore, we can determine that C1 Donna is CRIMINAL.
Clue:
"Only one person in a corner has exactly 2 innocent neighbors" — Hank (C2)
A1 · Alice → INNOCENT
Because: Betsy is at B1, and her neighbors are A1, A2, B2, C1, and C2. Emma’s clue says Betsy has exactly 2 innocent neighbors, and we already know C2 (Hank) is innocent. Since the other three known neighbors A2 (Floyd), B2 (Gabe), and C1 (Donna) are all criminals, the only remaining way for Betsy to have a second innocent neighbor is for A1 (Alice) to be innocent. Therefore, we can determine that A1 Alice is INNOCENT.
Clue:
"Only 1 of the 2 innocents neighboring Betsy is Donna's neighbor" — Emma (D1)