Nerdle

Eight tiles hold one hidden calculation and you get six tries at it. The solution is a complete equation, equals sign included, and every guess you submit has to be mathematically correct before the board will accept it, which takes fishing off the table. The board opens with a suggested first calculation and a Disable Hints switch for anyone who would rather not see it.

1. Type an eight character calculation using the digits and the operators plus, minus, times, divide and equals.
2. Make it arithmetically true. A guess needs exactly one equals sign with only a number after it, and an invalid calculation will not be taken.
3. Submit and read the tiles. The panel says correct tiles are shown in green.
4. Rebuild around the greens. Six tries in total.

Nerdle's constraint is that a guess has to be true before it counts. That single rule turns the board into arithmetic rather than pattern matching: you are building correct calculations that happen to be the wrong ones, and each buys you position information on digits and operators at the same time. Eight tiles is wide enough that placing the equals sign becomes a decision of its own.

The How to play panel says correct tiles are shown in green. Standard order of operations applies, and commutative answers are accepted, but only when everything else already matches the target solution.

Classic nerdle

The flagship eight character daily, the board this page opens on, numbered in the header.

The nerdleverse

A More games menu leading to the site's other number puzzles. The rules note that some of those variants add extra mathematical operators, which then show up on the keyboard.

• The equals sign can sit in different places, so its position is information too. Vary it across your first two rows instead of locking into one layout.
• Order of operations bites here. A times or divide in your guess resolves before the additions, so check the arithmetic before you spend the row.
• If you want a clean solve, the Disable Hints control under the board removes the suggested opening calculation.