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The description of wall of stone states:

The wall doesn't need to be vertical or rest on any firm foundation. It must, however, merge with and be solidly supported by existing stone. (PHB 287)

To me the two statements "doesn't need to rest on any firm foundation" and "must be solidly supported" seem contradictory. So does the stone the spell effect is merged to have to serve as a foundation or not? Could someone give an example that would be a shape or positioning of the effect that has no foundation, but is supported?

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Being supported does not necessarily mean "supported from below". By Cambridge dictionary it means:

to hold something firmly or carry its weight, especially from below to stop it from falling

Especially, yes, but not exclusively, and because spell explicitly says it does not need to be from the bottom, other sides should be OK.

Stalactites are supported by the cave ceiling, for example.

Stalactite image from linked Wikipedia article

In a fantasy world, I see no reason to forbid "sideways stalactites" kind of wall etc either.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Good answer. Wall of Stone also goes on to state If you create a span greater than 20 feet in length, you must halve the size of each panel to create supports Further in support of your answer, this sentence does not specify anything about what direction these supports must orient in or to what they must anchor. \$\endgroup\$
    – Rykara
    Oct 4, 2019 at 19:51
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    \$\begingroup\$ creating a ramp up the side of a cavern in another example, or a bridge between two cliffs. \$\endgroup\$
    – John
    Oct 5, 2019 at 0:47

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