The puzzles you have pencilled in

Every heart you tap drops a puzzle into this quill pot. It lives only in this browser, and a single link hands the whole pot to a friend.

First pencil mark01

Five-letter word hunt

Wordle

One hidden five-letter word, the same for everyone, and six rows to find it. Green means right letter in the right place, yellow means right letter in the wrong place. The tiny emoji grid you share afterwards has become a language of its own, and hard mode keeps veterans honest.

One answer a daySix rowsSpoiler-free sharing grid

Desktop and mobile browser; mobile app also available

Puzzle craft9

Fits a tea break10

The aha moment7

Life beyond today’s grid4

Guess today’s word Write-up

Cleverest editing02

Hidden-link word grid

Connections

Sixteen words, four secret groups of four. Each group carries a colour for difficulty, from straightforward yellow to devious purple, and four wrong guesses end the round. Red herrings are planted on purpose, so the word that fits three categories is usually the one that will catch you out.

Four hidden categoriesFour mistakes allowedNew grid every day

Desktop and mobile browser; mobile app also available

Puzzle craft10

Fits a tea break8

The aha moment9

Life beyond today’s grid4

Sort today’s sixteen Write-up

Calmest grid03

Letter-swapping crossgrid

Waffle

All the letters are already on the board, just mostly in the wrong places. Six words interlock across and down a waffle-shaped grid, and you have fifteen swaps to put them right. Green and yellow hints guide you, and every swap you save becomes a star at the end.

Swap letters into placeFifteen swapsSaved swaps become stars

Desktop and mobile browser; mobile app also available

Puzzle craft9

Fits a tea break8

The aha moment8

Life beyond today’s grid6

Untangle the waffle Write-up

For the numerate04

Daily equation puzzle

Nerdle

Wordle’s logic applied to arithmetic. You have six tries to find a hidden eight-character calculation, and every guess must itself be a valid sum. Colour hints show which digits and operators are right, which belong elsewhere and which are not there at all.

Guess an equationSix triesColour-coded hints

Desktop and mobile browser; mobile app also available

Puzzle craft8

Fits a tea break8

The aha moment8

Life beyond today’s grid6

Solve the equation Write-up

Four at once05

Multi-board word hunt

Quordle

Four hidden five-letter words, nine guesses, and every guess lands on all four boards at once. The trick is choosing words that help several boards together. Now hosted by Merriam-Webster, it adds a practice mode so you can keep playing after the daily round is done.

Four words togetherNine guessesPractice mode

Desktop and mobile browser

Puzzle craft7

Fits a tea break7

The aha moment7

Life beyond today’s grid9

Play four boards Write-up

Long-haul pick06

Eight-board word marathon

Octordle

Eight five-letter words at once, thirteen guesses, and every word you type lands on all eight boards. It is less about solving any single word than about choosing guesses that test plenty of letters. Daily and practice modes are both on offer for a proper lunch-break challenge.

Eight boards togetherThirteen guessesDaily and practice modes

Desktop and mobile browser

Puzzle craft6

Fits a tea break4

The aha moment6

Life beyond today’s grid8

Take on eight boards Write-up

Quill pot stands empty

Tap the heart on any grid card and Wren drops it in here.

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