The Game in One Paragraph#
Nerdle is a free daily puzzle at nerdlegame.com where you have 6 tries to guess a hidden 8-character math equation, like 12+35=47. After each guess, tiles turn green (right character, right spot), purple (in the equation, wrong spot), or black (not in the equation). Classic has a shared daily equation and resets at midnight GMT by default (see that in your local time); players can instead choose a local-midnight reset. If you know the Wordle loop, you already know the Nerdle loop — the difference is that every guess must be a mathematically correct equation. These settings and the current rules are documented on the official Classic Nerdle page. New to it? Start with our complete how-to-play guide.
The History of Nerdle#
Nerdle was born in a traffic jam in January 2022. London-based data scientist Richard Mann and his daughter Imogen were talking about Wordle, then at the peak of its viral moment, and wondered why there was no math equivalent. The rules were sketched out within minutes, and the name "nerdle" came just as fast.
Richard’s son Alex helped explore more than 100,000 valid calculations before the team selected 17,723 possible Classic solutions for the game. The official FAQ explains how the pool was curated. Software developer Marcus Tettmar built the game, which launched on January 20, 2022, three days after the idea. Nerdle’s published history says more than a million people played within the first week. Read the official account of the game’s launch, or see our teacher’s guide.
Since then the game has grown into a whole "Nerdleverse" of variants — from 5-character Micro to 10-character Maxi — which we break down in our guide to the major Nerdle variants.
NerdleBuddy is a separate, independent project. It was not involved in that history and is not affiliated with Nerdle; the About page explains who builds this site and how official and original content are labelled.
Nerdle vs Wordle#
The two games share DNA but play very differently in practice (we compare rules, pools, and strategy in depth in Nerdle vs Wordle):
| Feature | Nerdle | Wordle |
|---|---|---|
| What you guess | A math equation | A five-letter word |
| Grid width | 8 characters | 5 letters |
| Guesses allowed | 6 | 6 |
| Symbols available | 15 (digits 0-9 and + - * / =) | 26 letters |
| Possible answers | 17,723 published Classic solutions | A curated word list |
| “Wrong spot” color | Purple | Yellow |
| Guess validity | Must be a mathematically correct equation | Must be a dictionary word |
| Launched | January 20, 2022 | October 2021 (public) |
The biggest strategic difference is the size of the answer space. Wordle draws from a curated list of words, so vocabulary and letter frequency carry you far. The 17,723 answer forms in NerdleBuddy’s Classic model follow strict mathematical structure instead — which means the game rewards logical deduction over recall, and a well-chosen opening equation is measurably more valuable. That structure is exactly what our solver and strategy guide are built on.
Nerdle by the Numbers#
These figures come from NerdleBuddy’s reproducible Classic model, not a claim that it reproduces Nerdle’s complete accepted-guess list. See the methodology for the distinction, or dig into the results in the strategy guide.
Frequently Asked Questions#
Who created Nerdle?
Nerdle was created in January 2022 by London-based data scientist Richard Mann with his daughter Imogen and son Alex, and built by software developer Marcus Tettmar. It launched on January 20, 2022 at nerdlegame.com.
Is Nerdle related to Wordle?
Nerdle is not made by the Wordle team, but it was directly inspired by Wordle. It borrows the six-guess, color-feedback loop and applies it to math equations instead of five-letter words.
How many Nerdle answers are there?
Nerdle says it selected 17,723 possible Classic solutions from more than 100,000 valid calculations. Separately, NerdleBuddy's reproducible model generates 17,723 written answer forms and 67,346 valid guess forms; those counts are not presented as Nerdle's complete accepted-guess list.
Is Nerdle free?
Yes, Nerdle is free to play in any web browser at nerdlegame.com, with no download required. Official mobile apps are also available.
What color scheme does Nerdle use?
Green means correct character in the correct position, purple means the character is in the equation but in a different position, and black means the character is not in the equation. Purple plays the role of Wordle's yellow.
Try It Yourself
The fastest way to understand Nerdle is to play a round with hints turned on.