Codeword

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Loading today’s codeword…

Player’s guide

A crossword with the clues taken away. Every white square holds a number, each number stands for one letter, and each letter for one number — crack that code and the whole grid reads as ordinary words. The letters in play are shown to you: only those thirteen appear, so ruling one out rules it out everywhere. Everyone races the same puzzle, refreshed at midnight UTC.

  1. 1

    One number, one letter

    Three starter letters come filled in. Click any square and type: the letter lands on everysquare carrying that number at once. A letter can only belong to one number, so the keyboard strikes out the ones you’ve already spent and tags each with its number.
  2. 2

    Deduce, don't guess

    Every across and down run of three or more squares is a real word, and every letter on the keyboard appears at least twice in the grid. Short words are the way in — a three-letter run with two letters known usually has only one sensible ending. A letter doubled inside a word narrows things fast, and towards the end elimination does the rest: with a handful of numbers left and the same handful of letters unused, they have to pair up somehow.
    ← ↑ ↓ →move around the grid
    Spaceswitch between Across and Down
    TabEnterjump to the next unfinished word
    BackspaceDeleteun-assign the number under the cursor
  3. 3

    Check and hints

    Check marks every number you’ve decoded wrongly with a red slash, and retyping clears the mark. You get three checks and three hints per puzzle; each hint buys the true letter for the number under your cursor and locks it in. Spent hints are shown when you share your result.
  4. 4

    Race the clock

    The timer starts when you press Play and keeps running even if you close the tab, so pick a moment when you can think. Finish, and your time lines up against today’s best.
Tip: The starter letters are chosen from three different frequency bands of this grid — one common, one middling, one thin. Count how often a number appears before guessing at it: the number filling six or seven squares is almost certainly a vowel, and the shape of the words around it will tell you which.