Nerdle, the Wordle alternative, brings crossword for maths fans; Check it out

Wordle alternative: The success of Wordle has inspired many creators to build fun spin-offs of the original word game. These spin-offs often add another layer to the classic Wordle experience to make it a little more challenging and thematic. Now, for instance, if you are not a fan of words but prefer to deal with numbers instead, you can play a Wordle-styled game called Nerdle. The math-based game has started to make some buzz due to its reliance upon numbers and equations to find the right solution. This arithmetic crossword can be a lot of fun if you are a math fan and love quizzes and solving for ‘x’ in an equation happens to be your hobby. Regardless, this game offers a unique take on the classic Wordle game and that definitely makes it worth checking out.

But before we get to Nerdle, let us quickly explain the gameplay of Wordle to help the uninitiated. In Wordle, you have to guess a 5-letter secret word within six attempts by placing individual letters in boxes. Every attempt will highlight the letters in one of three colors. Gray means the alphabet is not in the secret word. A yellow highlight means the letter is in the secret word, just not in the right position. And green means the letter is both in the word and in the right position. The aim of the game is to find out the secret word in as few attempts as possible using these color codes as clues. Now, let’s move on to the Wordle alternative, Nerdle.

Nerdle: A Wordle without words

Nerdle was created by Richard Mann, a British data scientist. Some reports suggest the game was developed after his 14-year-old daughter wished for a Wordle equivalent for math fans. The game gives you six attempts, just like Wordle. But here, you have to guess a mathematical equation. But don’t worry. There is no calculus or trigonometry involved. There are 8 tiles, where the numbers 0-9 and the symbols +,-,x,/ and = can be inserted. And this game like Wordle, you can play for free!

So, the equation has to involve some sort of calculation of the operation of addition, subtraction, multiplication or division as the equation must have an ‘=’ symbol. Further, standard order of operations apply, so multiplication and division will be calculated before addition and subtraction. Finally, the order of operation is also important.

Let us give you an example to make it easier to understand. 20+30=50 can be one equation. However, if you write the same equation like this: 30+20=50, it will not be correct because the order matters. So, if you have some time to indulge in mathematical guilty pleasure, you can check out Nerdle here.