diff --git a/assets/react/controllers/GameGrid.jsx b/assets/react/controllers/GameGrid.jsx
index b9de1c7..296dee9 100644
--- a/assets/react/controllers/GameGrid.jsx
+++ b/assets/react/controllers/GameGrid.jsx
@@ -4,52 +4,41 @@ import ActorPopover from './ActorPopover';
 
 export default function GameGrid({ grid, width, middle }) {
     return (
-        <div className="game-grid-area">
-            <div className="hint-col">
-                {grid.map((row, rowIndex) => {
-                    if (row.separator !== undefined) {
-                        return <div key={rowIndex} className="hint-separator" />;
-                    }
-                    return (
-                        <div key={rowIndex} className="hint-cell">
-                            <ActorPopover hintType={row.hintType} hintText={row.hintText} />
-                        </div>
-                    );
-                })}
-            </div>
-            <div className="game-grid-scroll">
-                <table id="actors">
-                    <tbody>
-                        {grid.map((row, rowIndex) => {
-                            if (row.separator !== undefined) {
-                                return (
-                                    <tr key={rowIndex} className="separator-row">
-                                        {Array.from({ length: middle }, (_, i) => (
-                                            <td key={i} />
-                                        ))}
-                                        <td className="letter-static separator-char">
-                                            {row.separator === ' ' ? '' : row.separator}
-                                        </td>
-                                        {Array.from({ length: width - middle }, (_, i) => (
-                                            <td key={middle + 1 + i} />
-                                        ))}
-                                    </tr>
-                                );
-                            }
-
+        <div className="game-grid-scroll">
+            <table id="actors">
+                <tbody>
+                    {grid.map((row, rowIndex) => {
+                        if (row.separator !== undefined) {
                             return (
-                                <GameRow
-                                    key={rowIndex}
-                                    actorName={row.actorName}
-                                    pos={row.pos}
-                                    colStart={middle - row.pos}
-                                    totalWidth={width}
-                                />
+                                <tr key={rowIndex} className="separator-row">
+                                    <td className="hint-cell" />
+                                    {Array.from({ length: middle }, (_, i) => (
+                                        <td key={i} />
+                                    ))}
+                                    <td className="letter-static separator-char">
+                                        {row.separator === ' ' ? '' : row.separator}
+                                    </td>
+                                    {Array.from({ length: width - middle }, (_, i) => (
+                                        <td key={middle + 1 + i} />
+                                    ))}
+                                </tr>
                             );
-                        })}
-                    </tbody>
-                </table>
-            </div>
+                        }
+
+                        return (
+                            <GameRow
+                                key={rowIndex}
+                                actorName={row.actorName}
+                                pos={row.pos}
+                                colStart={middle - row.pos}
+                                totalWidth={width}
+                                hintType={row.hintType}
+                                hintText={row.hintText}
+                            />
+                        );
+                    })}
+                </tbody>
+            </table>
         </div>
     );
 }
diff --git a/assets/react/controllers/GameRow.jsx b/assets/react/controllers/GameRow.jsx
index 3c505c5..29e86ad 100644
--- a/assets/react/controllers/GameRow.jsx
+++ b/assets/react/controllers/GameRow.jsx
@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
 import React, { useRef, useCallback, useMemo } from 'react';
 import LetterInput from './LetterInput';
+import ActorPopover from './ActorPopover';
 
 function isLetter(ch) {
     return /[a-zA-Z]/.test(ch);
 }
 
-export default function GameRow({ actorName, pos, colStart, totalWidth }) {
+export default function GameRow({ actorName, pos, colStart, totalWidth, hintType, hintText }) {
     const inputRefs = useRef([]);
     const letters = actorName.split('');
 
@@ -28,6 +29,9 @@ export default function GameRow({ actorName, pos, colStart, totalWidth }) {
 
     return (
         <tr>
+            <td className="hint-cell">
+                <ActorPopover hintType={hintType} hintText={hintText} />
+            </td>
             {Array.from({ length: totalWidth + 1 }, (_, colIndex) => {
                 const charIndex = colIndex - colStart;
                 const isInRange = charIndex >= 0 && charIndex < letters.length;
diff --git a/assets/styles/app.css b/assets/styles/app.css
index 61d7811..503e2b7 100644
--- a/assets/styles/app.css
+++ b/assets/styles/app.css
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ body {
 #actors td {
     width: var(--cell);
     height: var(--cell);
+    padding: 0;
     text-align: center;
     vertical-align: middle;
 }
@@ -534,33 +535,26 @@ body {
     margin: 0;
 }
 
-.game-grid-area {
-    display: flex;
-    align-items: flex-start;
-    margin-top: 16px;
-}
-
-.hint-col {
-    display: flex;
-    flex-direction: column;
-    padding-top: 5px;
-    gap: 5px;
-    flex-shrink: 0;
-    padding-right: 12px;
-}
-
 .hint-cell {
-    height: var(--cell);
-    display: flex;
-    align-items: center;
-}
-
-.hint-separator {
-    height: 12px;
+    padding: 0;
+    position: sticky;
+    left: 5px;
+    z-index: 1;
+    background: var(--surface);
+    box-shadow:
+        -5px 0 0 var(--surface),
+         5px 0 0 var(--surface),
+         0 -5px 0 var(--surface),
+         0  5px 0 var(--surface),
+        -5px -5px 0 var(--surface),
+         5px -5px 0 var(--surface),
+        -5px  5px 0 var(--surface),
+         5px  5px 0 var(--surface);
 }
 
 .game-grid-scroll {
     overflow-x: auto;
+    margin-top: 16px;
 }
 
 /* ── Game actions ── */