Size Variants: Micro to Maxi#
The core rules never change — guess the equation in 6 tries, green/purple/black feedback — but the board width sets the difficulty:
Micro Nerdle
5 charactersEasiestThe smallest board in the Nerdleverse. Equations like 8-5=3 make it a gentle on-ramp for kids or a 30-second coffee-break puzzle.
Mini Nerdle
6 charactersEasyOne step up: equations like 10+9=19 don't fit, but 15-7=8 does. Fewer slots means fewer possibilities and quicker solves.
Classic Nerdle
8 charactersStandardThe original daily game with 17,723 possible answers. This is the version NerdleBuddy's solver, strategy guide, and practice puzzles are built for.
Maxi Nerdle
10 charactersHardThe long-form challenge. The wider board also introduces extra symbols such as brackets and squared/cubed operators, so order of operations really bites.
Gameplay Variants#
These keep the classic 8-character board but change how you play it:
Speed Nerdle
Classic rules against the clock. You're given a starting guess, and hesitation costs you — time penalties punish slow or invalid entries.
Instant Nerdle
One guess, no warm-up. You're shown all the characters the answer uses, and there is exactly one valid arrangement. Pure deduction.
Pro Nerdle
The sandbox: build your own Nerdle with extra math symbols and share it as a challenge link for friends to solve.
Multi-Grid & Puzzle Variants#
Bi Nerdle
Two grids, one set of guesses — every guess is scored against both hidden equations simultaneously. A mini bi version also exists.
Cross Nerdle
A crossword built from numbers and operators instead of words: fill the whole grid so every row and column forms a valid calculation.
Shuffle, Targets & Nanagrams
Rearrangement puzzles in the wider Nerdleverse — 20+ daily games in total, from tile-shuffling to hitting target numbers.
Which Variant Should You Play?#
- Brand new to Nerdle? Learn the rules with our how-to-play guide, then warm up on Mini before moving to Classic.
- Playing with kids? Micro and Mini keep the arithmetic friendly while teaching the deduction loop. Teachers: we wrote a whole classroom guide.
- Chasing lower guess counts on Classic? That's our specialty — the strategy guide covers data-backed openers, and the solver finds the optimal next guess from your feedback.
- Short on time? Instant is one guess; Micro takes a minute. Speed turns the daily into a race.
- Want unlimited practice? Official games are one-per-day, but you can replay any date from our archive or grab a random puzzle with hints, any time.
Frequently Asked Questions#
How many Nerdle games are there?
The official Nerdleverse offers more than 20 daily games, including size variants (Micro, Mini, Classic, Maxi), gameplay twists (Speed, Instant, Pro), multi-grid modes (Bi Nerdle), and grid puzzles like Cross Nerdle, Shuffle, Targets, and Nanagrams.
What is Mini Nerdle?
Mini Nerdle is the 6-character version of Nerdle. The rules are identical to Classic — guess the equation in 6 tries with green, purple, and black feedback — but shorter equations make it noticeably easier.
What is the hardest Nerdle variant?
Maxi Nerdle is generally considered the hardest daily variant: its 10-character equations can include brackets and squared or cubed operators, which dramatically expands the possibilities.
What is Instant Nerdle?
Instant Nerdle gives you exactly one guess. You are shown the characters the answer contains, and there is only one valid way to arrange them — you solve it entirely by deduction before entering anything.
Can you play more than one Nerdle per day?
Each official variant has one puzzle per day, but you can play multiple variants daily, replay past dates from an archive, or practice unlimited puzzles with hints on NerdleBuddy.
Master the Classic First
Every variant builds on the 8-character original. Sharpen your fundamentals with unlimited practice and real-time hints.