A little logic goes a long way.

One guess, three kinds of evidence.

Yes, letters can repeat.

Each ✓ or ↔ uses one copy of a letter in the answer. Exact positions are matched first; remaining matches are assigned from left to right.

A complete fictional game, explained

This game is invented for explanation, not taken from a player record or today’s puzzle. Imagine the answer is PLANT. Begin with STARE, as above: − ↔ ✓ − −. A belongs in the middle, T must move away from the second position, and S, R and E are absent. Before typing again, separate what the row proves from what merely sounds like a possible word. It does not tell you whether P, L or N is present yet.

Next, guess CLAMP. The feedback is − ✓ ✓ − ↔. L and A are correctly placed; C and M are absent. P belongs somewhere other than the last position. The earlier T clue still applies even though this row does not contain T. Together, the rows suggest a word with L and A fixed, a P outside the last square, and a T outside the second square.

PLANT fits those clues. Submitting it gives ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ and ends this fictional game. The example shows how to combine rows, not a claim that this opening always solves a word quickly. Another answer would produce different feedback and require a different next move. You can try this way of reading a board in Unlimited practice, then compare each decision with the explanation in your completed game’s review.

A third example: exact matches take priority

For another fictional example, let the answer be LEVEL and the guess be EERIE. Its feedback is ↔ ✓ − − −. The E in the second square is an exact match, so that copy is assigned first. LEVEL contains another E in the fourth square. The remaining guessed letters are checked from left to right: the E in the first square receives ↔, while the final E receives −. Each coloured match uses a different copy from the answer.

Read that final row as a count as well as a set of positions. The check and arrow account for both copies of E; the dash on the extra E does not erase either match. R and I have no match at all. This is why the row matters more than a keyboard colour alone. The keyboard preserves the strongest feedback for a letter, but cannot show all its separate copies. The misplaced-letter guide explains how to carry those position restrictions into another guess.

Count positive copies within a row, rather than adding every arrow from the whole game. Seeing the same letter misplaced in successive guesses may describe the same copy moving through your attempted positions. It does not prove the answer contains another copy each time. Keep the strongest count evidence from a row and combine it with the position restrictions from the other rows before choosing a candidate.

Three beginner misunderstandings

A familiar word is not automatically a possible answer. Puzzico accepts a wider dictionary for guesses than its reviewed answer pool. A legal word can help test letters without being a potential solution. Read the editorial standards for how those lists are selected.

A correct tile does not force your next input. Puzzico does not enforce hard mode. You may choose a word that breaks a known position to investigate other letters. It still costs a guess, so consider what you expect to learn before using that freedom.

A local midnight is not the Daily reset. The shared puzzle changes at 00:00 UTC. Your local clock can show a different date or time. The active-game window and the shared reset are separate rules, as the questions below explain.

Make it your daily ritual. Or keep going.

Daily gives everyone the same word at 00:00 UTC. There is one official result per daily puzzle for this browser. Unlimited gives you a fresh practice game whenever you finish. Both use six guesses; their results are kept separately.