What is Nerdle?
Nerdle is a daily math puzzle game launched in January 2022 by data scientist Richard Mann and his brother Marcus. The idea came from Richard's daughter, who wished Wordle existed for math. The result: instead of guessing a 5-letter word, you guess a complete mathematical equation.
You get 6 guesses to find the hidden equation. After each guess, tiles change color to show how close you are. Green means the character is correct and in the right position. Purple (or sometimes shown as magenta) means the character exists in the equation but somewhere else. Black means that character does not appear at all. Sound familiar? It should — the feedback system works exactly like Wordle, except every "letter" is a digit or operator instead of an A through Z.
The game is free at nerdlegame.com and resets daily at midnight UTC. There is no app to download — it runs in any browser. Since launch, Nerdle has built a community of over 1 million daily players, and the equation pool has expanded from the original 8-character Classic mode into five distinct modes.
Nerdle differs from Wordle in the structure of the search space. In Wordle, every position is an independent letter. In Nerdle, positions are constrained by math — the equals sign must exist, both sides must compute to the same value, and operators have defined roles. This creates a tighter, more logical elimination process once you understand the rules.
How Nerdle Feedback Works
Every guess returns three types of colored feedback. Understanding what each color tells you — and what it does not tell you — is the difference between solving in 3 guesses and burning all 6.
Green tiles — correct character, correct position
If you guess 43-28=15 and the first tile turns green showing "4", that 4 is locked in position 1. No other digit or operator can go there. This is the strongest feedback you can get. Two green tiles on the left side of the equals sign can sometimes determine the entire equation, because the remaining positions must satisfy the mathematical constraint.
Purple tiles — character exists, but in a different position
Purple tells you the character appears somewhere in the equation but not where you put it. If you guess 12+34=46 and the "1" turns purple, you know 1 is in the answer but not in position 1. The tricky part: if you see two "4"s and only one turns purple, that means 4 appears exactly once in the answer. The other 4 you guessed was a duplicate that does not exist.
Black tiles — character not in the equation
Black means elimination. If your guess 58*2=116 turns the "5" and the "*" black, you can remove every equation containing a 5 or a multiplication sign from consideration. In Classic mode with over 17,000 valid equations, a single guess with 3 or 4 black tiles can eliminate thousands of candidates in one shot.
One subtlety that catches new players: the equals sign. In every mode, the answer contains exactly one "=". If your guess has "=" in the right spot and it turns green, you immediately know where the equation splits. If it turns purple, you know the equation has an equals sign but you placed it wrong — which constrains the answer length on each side.
All Five Nerdle Modes Explained
Nerdle started with one mode — the 8-character Classic. As the community grew, the developers added shorter modes for quick sessions and a longer mode for players who wanted deeper puzzles. Each mode has a different equation pool size, which directly affects how much information each guess reveals.
Micro Nerdle — 5 characters
The fastest mode. Equations are only 5 characters long, like 2+1=3 or 9-4=5. The equation pool is small — typically around 200 valid equations. This means each guess eliminates a large percentage of the pool. Most Micro puzzles are solvable in 2-3 guesses if you start with a strong opener. The limited length means equations are simple: one operator, single-digit numbers, and no complex arithmetic.
Mini Nerdle — 6 characters
One character longer than Micro, but the extra slot opens up two-digit results. Equations like 4*7=28 and 12-5=7 fit here. The pool grows to roughly 1,000 valid equations. You still get the quick-session feel, but two-digit numbers introduce more possibilities. A good opener like 9*8=72 tests 5 unique characters and covers a wide range of digits.
Midi Nerdle — 7 characters
Midi introduces equations with more structure, like 6-1*4=2 or 50-23=27. The pool sits around 5,000 valid equations. Order of operations matters here — 6-1*4=2 is valid because multiplication happens first (1*4=4, then 6-4=2). This is where players who do not respect operator precedence start making mistakes. If you forget that * and / bind tighter than + and -, you will enter equations that are mathematically wrong even though they look plausible.
Classic Nerdle — 8 characters
The original mode. Eight characters with examples like 43-28=15 and 12+35=47. The equation pool exceeds 17,000 valid combinations, making it the most popular and most challenging of the standard modes. Two-digit numbers on both sides of the equals sign create a dense search space. The solver is most valuable here — manual elimination gets difficult after 2-3 guesses because the remaining candidates are still in the hundreds.
Maxi Nerdle — 10 characters
The hardest mode. Maxi adds parentheses and powers (squared and cubed), pushing the character count to 10. An example might look like 3*(8+2)=30. The bracket syntax and exponentiation dramatically expand the equation pool and introduce structural complexity — you now need to think about nested operations and grouping. Maxi is for players who find Classic too easy and want a puzzle that genuinely takes all 6 guesses to solve.
Why Use a Nerdle Solver
You can play Nerdle without any help. Plenty of people do. But the math-based search space creates specific situations where a solver saves you guesses you would otherwise waste.
Classic mode has over 17,000 valid equations
After 2 guesses in Classic Nerdle, you might eliminate 60% of the pool but still face 7,000 possible equations. A human cannot sort through 7,000 candidates mentally. The solver calculates which next guess splits that remaining set most efficiently, often cutting it by another 70-80% in a single guess.
Bad opens waste guesses
If your first guess uses repeated digits like 11+22=33, you test only 4 unique characters across 8 positions. A strong opener like 48*2=96 tests 6 unique characters. The difference is enormous — the strong opener typically eliminates 10,000+ equations versus 3,000-4,000 with the repetitive guess. The solver ranks openers by entropy so you never start with a dud.
Math blind spots are real
Most people are worse at mental math than they think. When you have 3 green tiles and need to figure out what fills the remaining 5 positions, arithmetic mistakes lead to invalid equations that the game rejects. The solver only suggests equations that are mathematically correct, so you never waste a guess on something like 48-23=26 (which equals 25, not 26).
Protect your streak
If you are on a 50-day streak and stuck on guess 5 with no clear path, the solver gives you the mathematically optimal next guess instead of a hunch. It is the difference between maintaining a streak and starting over. Regular solver users report solving Classic mode in an average of 3.2 guesses versus 4.1 guesses without help.
How Our Nerdle Solver Works
This solver uses an entropy-based algorithm running on a dedicated worker. When you select a mode, the solver loads the full pool of valid equations for that mode. Every time you add a guess and set the feedback, the solver filters the pool and recalculates which remaining equation would reveal the most information on your next guess.
Here is what entropy means in practice. Say the remaining pool has 2,000 equations. The solver tests every single equation in that pool as a hypothetical next guess. For each one, it simulates all possible feedback patterns you might receive. An equation that produces 20 different feedback patterns and splits the 2,000 candidates into roughly equal groups scores high on entropy — because no matter what feedback you get, you eliminate a large chunk of the pool. An equation that produces only 4 patterns, with 1,800 candidates bunched into a single pattern, scores low — because you will probably get that common pattern and learn almost nothing.
The solver ranks all equations by their entropy score and presents them with the top pick highlighted. You also see the remaining count and total pool size, so you know exactly how much progress each guess has made. The top suggestion is not always the answer — it is the equation that will narrow your search the most, which is what you want when you still have hundreds of candidates left.
The worker processes your guesses server-side, which means the full equation pool stays off the client and your browser stays fast. After each calculation, you get back a ranked list of suggestions with entropy values you can compare. The entire cycle — enter feedback, click calculate, get results — takes under a second on most connections.
Tips for Getting Better at Nerdle
The solver handles the computation, but understanding why it picks certain equations makes you a better player even when you are not using it.
Maximize unique characters in your opener
An equation like 48*2=96 uses 6 unique characters across 8 positions (4, 8, *, 2, =, 9, 6 — with 9 and 6 distinct). Compare that to 11+11=22, which tests only 3 unique characters. The first guess eliminates far more candidates. Always count unique characters in your opening guess — aim for at least 6 in Classic mode.
Pin the equals sign early
Knowing where the "=" sits tells you the split between left and right sides of the equation. In Classic mode, the equals sign is usually at position 5 or 6 (counting from 1). If your first guess puts "=" at position 5 and it turns green, you know the left side is 4 characters and the right side is 3. If it turns purple, the equals sign is at a different position — which narrows the structural possibilities immediately.
Test operators strategically
There are only 4 basic operators in Classic mode: +, -, *, /. If your first guess uses * and it turns black, you eliminate every equation containing multiplication. Since roughly 25-30% of Classic equations use *, that is a substantial cut from a single piece of feedback. Your second guess should test a different operator to continue narrowing the operator space.
Respect order of operations
Nerdle follows standard mathematical precedence: multiplication and division before addition and subtraction. The equation 3+4*5=23 is valid (4*5=20, then 3+20=23), but 3+4*5=35 is not (that would require left-to-right evaluation). If you enter equations that ignore precedence, the game rejects them. This is the most common mistake new players make, especially in Midi and Classic modes.
Use the solver to learn patterns
After each game, compare your guesses to what the solver suggested. You will notice that the solver frequently picks equations that test digits you have not tried yet, rather than equations that might be the answer but test overlapping characters. This "information over guessing" approach is the core strategy. Once you internalize it, you will start picking better guesses on your own even without the solver open.
Understanding Nerdle Equation Rules
Nerdle is stricter than it looks. Not every string of digits and operators counts as a valid equation. Knowing the exact rules prevents you from wasting guesses on things the game will reject.
Both sides must compute to the same value
This is the fundamental rule. 43-28=15 is valid because 43 minus 28 equals 15. 43-28=14 is invalid because 43 minus 28 is 15, not 14. The game checks the math before checking the feedback. If the arithmetic does not work, the guess is rejected entirely.
The equals sign must appear exactly once
Every valid Nerdle equation contains one and only one "=" character. No exceptions. You cannot use "==" and you cannot leave out the equals sign. If your equation has no equals sign or more than one, it is rejected.
No leading zeros
Numbers cannot start with zero. You cannot write 05+3=8 — it must be 5+3=8. The only place a zero can appear as the first character is the very first position of the entire equation, and even then the number it starts must be valid (so 0+5=5 is valid, but 03+4=7 is not).
Commutative answers are accepted
If the answer is 3+5=8, then 5+3=8 is also accepted as a correct guess. The game treats commutative equivalents as valid matches for the green/purple feedback. However, only one of the commutative forms is the "official" daily answer, so feedback may differ between the two forms if the positions do not align.
Negative numbers are not allowed
Neither side of the equation can evaluate to a negative number. So 5-12=-7 is not a valid Nerdle equation even though the math works. The minus sign can only be used as a subtraction operator between positive values, not as a negation prefix.
For Maxi mode specifically, parentheses and powers add two more rules: brackets must be properly paired and nested, and the power notation uses superscript characters for squared and cubed. The solver validates all of these rules automatically, so when you use a suggestion from the tool, you know it will be accepted by the game.
Nerdle vs Wordle: Key Differences
Nerdle and Wordle share the same core mechanic — guess the hidden thing in 6 tries with colored feedback — but the differences in search space and constraints make them play very differently.
| Aspect | Wordle | Nerdle |
|---|---|---|
| What you guess | A 5-letter word | A math equation (5-10 chars) |
| Characters | 26 letters (A-Z) | 10 digits + 4 operators + = |
| Search space | ~2,300 possible answers | 200 to 17,000+ depending on mode |
| Positional constraints | None — any letter can go anywhere | Math constrains positions (e.g. = must exist) |
| Valid guess check | Must be a real English word | Must be mathematically correct |
| Modes | One mode (5 letters) | 5 modes (Micro through Maxi) |
| Feedback colors | Green / Yellow / Gray | Green / Purple / Black |
The biggest strategic difference: Wordle positions are independent — any letter can go in any slot. Nerdle positions are mathematically coupled. If position 1 is "9" and position 2 is "*", then position 3 must be a digit (not an operator), and the product constrains what appears after the equals sign. This coupling means that in Nerdle, locking in 2-3 characters often determines the rest of the equation, while in Wordle you might need 4-5 correct letters before the answer becomes obvious.