In short

There's a secret 4-letter word. You guess words, and after each guess the letters light up to tell you how close you got. Once you've worked out the secret word, there's a second step: pick some maths symbols so that the word's letters make a target number shown on screen. Get both parts right and you've won.

The goal

Find the hidden four-letter word in up to four guesses, using the colour clues. Then choose operators so that its letter values make the target. You need both halves to finish.

Guessing feedback

Each guess must be a valid four-letter word. If it isn’t on the list, the tiles shake and the guess doesn’t count. After a valid guess, each tile is coloured:

🟩 Green — the letter is in the secret word, in this position.
🟨 Yellow — the letter is in the secret word, but not in this position.
⬛ Grey — the letter is not in the secret word, or every copy of it is already accounted for (see repeated letters below).

Worked example

Target: 239, secret word BORN. Guessing TRAP:

Worked example: repeated letters

Exact matches (green) are marked first and use up copies of that letter. Only copies left over can turn yellow; extra copies are grey. Secret word SEAT, guess TEES:

Then, the sum

Once you have the secret word, its letters appear with their values and a drop-down for each of the three operators. Choose +, −, × or / for each. × and / are worked out first, then + and − from left to right, and a division must be exact. Land on the target to finish.

Worked sum for BORN (target 239):

A wrong combination costs nothing: adjust the operators and try again as often as you like.

Playing it

Type a guess on the on-screen keyboard and tap Guess (or press Enter). The keys take on the same colours as your tiles. You have four guesses; if you run out, the answer is revealed. The note under the target tells you how many words on the list can reach today’s target: a rough guide to how tricky the guessing will be.

Score

Out of 4, by how many guesses you need: 1st guess 4 points, 2nd 3, 3rd 2, 4th 1, and 0 if you run out. You still solve the sum to finish, but it doesn’t change the score. Only your first play of the day counts; there is no Play again.

Learn along the way

Choosing between + − × and ÷ to hit a target practises the order of operations, and working out the secret word from the colour clues is a small exercise in logic and elimination.

Watch a playthrough