THE DAILY WORD CIPHER

Looks like a code. Thinks like a crossword.

Five clues. Five words. One shared cipher.

THE CODE IS YOURS TO CRACK

Start with a clue you know. Tap a symbol, then type its letter.

PICK A SYMBOL ABOVEONE SYMBOL = ONE LETTER
Type on your keyboard or tap a letter.
A quick reminder
01 / SPOT THE WORD

Clues get you started. Numbers and symbols hide the letters.

02 / MAKE THE CONNECTION

Decode one symbol and watch that letter appear in every word.

03 / COMPARE YOUR CRACK

One puzzle for everyone, every day. Share your score. Keep the secret.

HOW TO PLAY

Five words. One shared code.

Daily Glyph challenges you to decode five words using one shared substitution cipher. Each symbol represents the same letter wherever it appears. Some puzzles also feature a hidden connection among the answers.

  1. Pick a clue. Tap a tile, then type or choose its letter.
  2. Follow the shared letters. Matching symbols light up across all five words. Classic Glyph uses five independent clues. Theme Glyph adds an optional connection to guess after solving.
  3. Check answers. Correct complete words lock in. Solve all five to finish.
Correcting guesses & keyboard controls

Tap a symbol and type a new letter to replace a guess everywhere. If that letter is already guessed elsewhere, it moves automatically. Confirmed letters stay locked.

Use Erase or Backspace to remove a guess, arrow keys to move, or Undo last move to restore guesses. Clear guesses asks first and keeps solved words, revealed letters, and your starting letter.

Scoring, rewards & daily reset

Your puzzle score starts at 1,000. An incorrect complete word costs 25 points; revealing a letter costs 50. Unfinished words are not checked. There is no time bonus.

Reward points: earn 100 for completing today’s puzzle, 50 when it is 1–29 days old, or 5 at 30 days or older. Share or copy a completed result for +1, once per Eastern day. Streak bonus: +10 on day 2, +20 on day 3, rising to +100 per day from day 11. Only on-time daily solves extend your streak; missing a day restarts the bonus. Rewards are saved on this browser, separate from your 1,000-point puzzle score. Practice earns none; replaying a completed date earns no extra completion points. Earlier completions are not awarded retroactively.

A fresh cipher arrives at 12:00 a.m. Eastern time (EST in winter, EDT in summer). Words may return in new combinations; the full daily codebook never repeats within supported calendar dates. Your progress and stats stay in this browser.

Words, hints & symbols

Hints may point to everyday words, historical surnames, folklore, or mythology. New puzzles use 4–7-letter words. Older archive puzzles keep their original words and may share a theme.

Symbols may be numbers, punctuation, or capital letters. One symbol always represents one letter, and no two symbols represent the same letter.

YOUR LITTLE DAILY RITUAL

The bigger picture.

Stats are saved on this device. A streak counts consecutive Eastern dates completed. Your puzzle score rewards thoughtful solving. Separate reward points favor completing puzzles on their release date.

TRY IT FIRST · NO POINTS AT STAKE

Try a three-letter word.

Solve the pet. Watch its shared symbols fill the next word.

Your daily puzzle and score stay untouched.

Clear unconfirmed guesses?

Solved words, revealed letters, and the free starting letter stay. Your points and streak do not change.

MAKE YOURSELF COMFORTABLE

Accessibility & preferences

Preferences are saved in this browser. Change text size in the More menu.

MORE CONNECTIONS, WHEN YOU WANT THEM

Keep puzzling.

Today’s daily puzzle

The shared puzzle that counts toward your daily stats and streak.

Go to today’s puzzle →

Practice puzzles

Choose Classic, Themed, or Surprise Me. Practice saves separately and never changes daily scores, history, or streaks.

Explore original mixed-word puzzles with 4–7-letter answers, historical surnames, folklore, mythology, and everyday vocabulary. These use the same rules and save separately.

Puzzle archive

Revisit a released puzzle. Archive results are saved separately and do not backfill daily streaks.