Nerdle
How to Play Nerdle — Complete Beginner Guide to Math Wordle
5 min read · Burmly
Nerdle is Wordle for people who think in numbers. Instead of a hidden word, you are guessing a hidden math equation — and you have 6 attempts to find it.
The basics
The equation is always 8 characters long and uses only digits (0–9) and operators (+, -, *, /, =). Your guess must be a mathematically correct equation. Typing "1+2=4" is rejected because 1+2 does not equal 4.
Key rule: Every guess must be a valid equation. "5*3=15" is accepted. "5*3=16" is not.
What the colors mean
After each guess, every character gets colored:
- Green: the right character in the right position.
- Purple: the character is in the equation but in the wrong position.
- Dark gray: the character does not appear in the equation at all.
This is identical to Wordle's logic, applied to characters instead of letters.
A worked example
Target: 3 * 8 = 2 4
Guess 1: 1 + 2 + 3 = 6 → 3 is green (right place)
+ and = are purple (in equation, wrong place)
1, 2, 6 are dark (not in equation)
Guess 2: 3 * 4 + 5 = 1 7 → 3 and * are green
4 is purple
...and so on
Operator precedence matters
Nerdle respects standard math order of operations. In "1+2*3=7", the multiplication happens first: 2*3=6, then +1 = 7. This is correct. "1+2*3=9" would be rejected because it treats the equation as (1+2)*3 which is not standard.
Common mistake: Entering an equation that is mathematically valid in your head but wrong by PEMDAS. Always evaluate left to right with standard precedence.
Tips for your first few games
- Start with an equation that uses common digits and operators: something like "1+2+3=6" or "9*8=72" covers a lot of ground.
- After your first guess, look for purple characters — they confirm what operators and digits ARE in the equation, just not where.
- The equals sign always appears exactly once. If you get a green = early, you know exactly where the equation splits.
Ready to put this into practice?
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