SUDOKU WITH LETTERS?

There's nothing that says sudoku puzzles have to use numbers. True, sudokus are typically done with numbers, but there's nothing special about that, since they aren't being used for any mathematical reason (i.e., you're not doing any addition or multiplication with them). So any nine distinct symbols will do. The numbers from 1 to 9 are just the most commonly used symbols that, according to the rules of sudoku, cannot be repeated in any row, column, or 9x9 box.

Why Use Letters?

Using nine unique allows for the possibility of including/hiding words inside the sudoku grid!

So here we present six themed sudoku. Each of the six sudokus contains a hidden nine-letter word that you can find after you've solved the puzzle. These hidden words relate to the Internet, technology, and/or the work we do at the Patricia Seybold Group.

Note that:

• Each of the six sudokus is distinct and uses a different set of nine letters.
  
• The letters used in a given sudoku are provided inside a rectangular box below the sudoku grid. (Rather than listing these nine letters randomly, we've presented them as one or two words. The meanings of these words are not related to the hidden words; they're just for fun.)

An Example

Here's a sample puzzle that uses the following nine letters: D-I-S-P-R-O-V-E-N.

And here's the solution. Note the word "DIVERSION" hidden along the diagonal.

Hidden word: D I V E R S I O N

We hope you find this diversion an entertaining and worthy challenge. Happy puzzling!

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Sudoku 1 - Very Easy

     Hidden Word:  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __

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Sudoku 2 - Easy

    Hidden Word:  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __

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Sudoku 3 - Medium

      Hidden Word: __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __

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Sudoku 4 - Medium

     Hidden Word:   __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __

 
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Sudoku 5 - Hard

     Hidden Word: __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __

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Sudoku 6 - Very Hard

    Hidden Word:  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __  __

Download the PDF version of these puzzles at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1571/pz12-20-07cc

View the solutions to these puzzles at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1571/pz12-21-07cc