How to play

LETTERS (Word)

Find the hidden six-letter word in seven tries.

• Guess the hidden six-letter word. You have seven tries.
• After each guess, every letter is marked: ● placed (right letter, right spot), ◐ present (in the word, wrong spot) or ○ absent.
• Once per game you may probe one letter to learn how many times it appears. A probe costs points, not a try.
• On Sundays the answer comes from a stated theme.

Play today’s LETTERS

NEAR (Word)

Find the secret word. Every guess is ranked by how close its meaning is.

• There is a secret word. Guess any word and you are told its rank: how close its meaning is to the secret, out of every word we know.
• Rank 1 is the secret word itself. Rank 2 is its closest neighbour, and so on down.
• You have as many guesses as you like. Plurals count as their singular.
• Three "warmer" hints are available. Each gives you a word halfway between your best guess and the answer, and costs points.
• When you finish you are shown the ten closest words.

Play today’s NEAR

LINKS (Word)

Sort twenty tiles into five groups of four that share a link.

• Twenty tiles hide five groups of four. Each group shares a link.
• Select four tiles you think belong together and submit them.
• You may make four mistakes. Some tiles look as if they belong in more than one group.
• After finding a group you may name its link for bonus points, or skip to see it.

Play today’s LINKS

OUTLINE (Geography)

Name the country from its outline in six guesses.

• You are shown the outline of a country. Name it in six guesses.
• Each wrong guess tells you how far away the answer is (border to border), which direction to head, and how close you are as a percentage.
• Once you have it, three optional bonus questions add points: its flag, its population, and how many countries it borders.

Play today’s OUTLINE

ROUTE (Geography)

Name the countries that link two others by land.

• You are given a start country and an end country. Name the countries in between so that they join up by land.
• Guess in any order. The route is done when your countries form an unbroken chain from start to end.
• Each guess is marked: on a shortest route, on a slightly longer route, borders a country you have placed, or off route.
• Par is the fewest countries needed. You get par plus four guesses.
• Some days add a checkpoint country the route must pass through.
• One hint per game: pick a country you have placed to be shown one of its neighbours.
• Land borders only: no ferries, bridges or tunnels.

Play today’s ROUTE

CAPITAL (Geography)

Name the capital city from the outline of its country, in six guesses.

• You are shown the outline of a country. Name its capital city in six guesses.
• Each wrong guess tells you how far your city is from the answer, which direction to head, and whether it is on the same continent.
• Each wrong guess also unlocks a clue: the continent, the population, the language, the first letter, then the number of letters.
• The fewer clues you need, the more you score.

Play today’s CAPITAL

TARGET (Maths)

Combine six numbers to hit the target.

• Combine the six numbers with + − × ÷ to reach the target. Use each number at most once.
• Every step must give a positive whole number: no fractions and no negatives.
• Gold for hitting the target exactly, silver for landing within 3, bronze within 10.
• You may submit up to three times; your best counts. Gold with the fewest operations scores most.

Play today’s TARGET

EQUATE (Maths)

Find the hidden equation that makes the total.

• A total is shown. Find the hidden equation that makes it: three whole numbers from 1 to 99, joined by + − × ÷. At weekends there are four numbers, from 1 to 25.
• × and ÷ are done before + and −. Every step must give a positive whole number.
• Every guess must itself equal the total. You have six tries.
• Each number is marked: exact, in the equation but in a different place, or not in it. On weekdays, if it is not exact, an arrow says whether the hidden number in that place is higher or lower. At weekends there are no arrows.
• Each operator is marked: right, used elsewhere, or not used.
• Order does not matter where it makes no difference: 3 × 4 + 5 and 5 + 4 × 3 are the same answer.

Play today’s EQUATE

BEACONS (Logic & Cipher)

Light one beacon in every row, column and region, with none touching.

• The grid is divided into regions, marked by thick lines.
• Place one beacon in every row, every column and every region. On Sundays the grid is bigger and each takes two.
• Beacons may not touch each other, not even at a corner.
• Tap a cell once to cross it out, twice to place a beacon, and a third time to clear it.
• Every puzzle has exactly one solution and can be solved by logic alone, with no guessing. Grids grow through the week: 6×6 on Monday, 9×9 on Sunday.
• Check shows any beacon in the wrong place, and the hint points out a cell you can work out next. Both cost points. Solving with the automatic crosses switched off earns a "pure solve" bonus.

Play today’s BEACONS

MINI-GRID (Logic & Cipher)

A six-by-six number grid: every row, column and box holds 1 to 6 once.

• Fill the grid so that every row, every column and every 2×3 box contains the numbers 1 to 6 once each.
• Monday to Thursday are plain grids, getting harder. On Friday and Saturday some cells sit in dashed cages: the numbers in a cage add up to the total shown. On Sunday there are two grids that share a box and must be solved together.
• Switch on Notes to pencil small numbers into a cell while you think.
• Every puzzle has exactly one solution and can be solved by logic alone, with no guessing.
• Check shows any wrong numbers, the hint fills in one cell and says why, and Auto-notes pencils in every possibility. All three cost points. Solve without any notes for the ⚡ badge.

Play today’s MINI-GRID

CIPHER (Logic & Cipher)

Crack the letter-substitution code to reveal a quotation.

• A quotation has been encoded: every letter has been swapped for a different one, the same way throughout.
• Work out which letter stands for which and decode the whole quotation.
• A few letters are given to start you off. Puzzles get harder from Monday to Sunday: longer quotations, fewer given letters.
• You may check your letters or reveal one, up to three times each. Both cost points. A wrong submission also costs points.
• The author is revealed when you solve it.

Play today’s CIPHER

When do new puzzles appear?

At midnight, UK time, every day. If you are part-way through a puzzle at midnight you can finish it, and it still counts for the day it belongs to.

Is it the same puzzle for everyone?

Yes. Each game has one puzzle a day and everybody in the world gets the same one.

Do I need an account?

No. You play as a guest and your games are remembered on that device. Create an account on your profile page if you want your streaks and scores on other devices too. Nothing you have already played is lost when you do.

How is my score worked out?

Every game is scored out of 1,000 so that games can be added together fairly. Most of the score is for solving the puzzle; the rest is for doing it in few guesses or steps and in good time. Each hint takes some points off.

What do hints cost?

A hint, check or probe lowers your score a little but your result still counts for streaks and leaderboards. Revealing the answer ends the game with a score of nothing and keeps it off the leaderboards, though it still counts towards your all-games streak.

How do streaks work?

Each game has its own streak: the number of days in a row you have finished its puzzle, win or lose. There is also an all-games streak for days on which you finished at least one puzzle.

How do I get on the leaderboards?

Pick a display name on your profile page. There are daily, weekly and monthly boards, for each game and for all games together. The daily board refreshes every five minutes.

What is a league?

A private leaderboard for you and your friends. Create one on the leagues page and share its link or eight-character code.

How do I share my result?

Use the share button once you have finished. It copies a small grid of symbols showing how you did, never the answer.

Why is my score missing from a leaderboard?

Boards take a few minutes to update, and you need a display name. A game finished faster than seems possible is held back until it has been reviewed.

Can I play older puzzles?

Not yet. An archive of past puzzles is planned.

I think a puzzle is wrong. What should I do?

Please tell us, using the details on the contact page, and say which game and date.