Headle is a free daily word game with a twist. You have six tries to guess a hidden five-letter word, with the familiar green, yellow and gray tiles guiding you. The difference is the opponent sitting across from you: your opening guess becomes the word the computer has to solve, and its opening guess is the word you are chasing. Two puzzles, one race, six turns each.
That small change alters how the game feels. A safe, information-rich opener helps you and helps your opponent equally, so playing well means balancing what you learn against what you give away — a decision ordinary word games never ask you to make.
Every finished game adjusts your skill rating using an Elo calculation, the same family of formula used to rank chess players. You also earn experience for each game you complete, win or lose. Sign in to keep your rating and history across devices and to track streaks, which are built on the word you successfully defended.
A fresh puzzle arrives each day, based on your local time zone rather than a fixed server clock, so the reset happens at midnight where you are. Progress on the current day saves automatically — close the tab mid-game and pick up exactly where you left off.
New here? Read the full rules, pick up some opening-word strategy, or learn more about Headle.