decode

How to play

Every day there's one hidden code: 4 tokens, each one of 6 colours. Colours can repeat. You have 8 guesses. Build a guess from the palette, hit Guess, and read the clues:

Clue	Means
🟩	a token that is the right colour in the right spot
🟨	a token that is the right colour but in the wrong spot
⬜	a colour that isn't in the code (in that quantity)

The clues tell you how many of each, not which token — that's the puzzle. Crack all four (🟩🟩🟩🟩) to win. Everyone gets the same code each day, so your grid is comparable with friends.

A quick strategy

• Probe colours first. An early guess like 🔴🔴🟠🟠 tells you how many reds and oranges are in the code, regardless of position.
• Then pin positions. Once you know which colours are in, swap two of them and watch whether a 🟨 turns into a 🟩.
• Count carefully. 🟩 + 🟨 together = how many of your colours belong in the code at all. If that number is 4, you have the right colours and only positions remain.
• Fewer guesses is a better score — but solving at all keeps your streak alive.

A worked example

Suppose your first probe is 🔴🔴🟠🟠 and the clue comes back as one 🟨 and nothing else. That single yellow tells you the code contains exactly one red-or-orange between them, in a spot you haven't matched yet — and no greens, so the other three tokens are among the remaining four colours. Your next probe swaps in two fresh colours, say 🟢🟢🔵🔵, to count those. Piece by piece you learn how many of each colour belong; only then do you shuffle known colours between positions, watching a 🟨 flip to 🟩 to pin each spot. Deduction, not luck, cracks it.

What game is this based on?

decode is the classic bulls-and-cows / coloured-peg deduction puzzle — the same public-domain logic mechanic behind the pen-and-paper "bulls and cows" number game and the coloured-peg board game it inspired. You're a codebreaker narrowing a hidden combination using only counting clues. It's a game of pure information: every guess should be chosen to learn something, not just to try an answer.

Why a new code every day?

One hidden code a day, the same for everyone, then you're finished until tomorrow — a small daily ritual rather than an endless grind. Solving keeps your streak going, and the spoiler-free emoji grid lets you brag about cracking it in few guesses without revealing the code. Free, no account, plays entirely in your browser.

Questions people ask

Question	Answer
Can a colour appear more than once in the code?	Yes. Colours can repeat, which is exactly why counting clues carefully matters.
Does the clue tell me which token is right?	No — only how many are right-spot (🟩) and right-colour-wrong-spot (🟨). Working out which is the puzzle.
Is everyone's code the same?	Yes, the same hidden code each day worldwide, so shared grids are comparable.
How many guesses do I get?	Eight. Fewer guesses scores better, but solving at all keeps your streak alive.
Do I need an account?	No signup, no login, no server. Your streak lives only in this browser.

decode is one puzzle a day. Come back tomorrow for a new code and keep your streak going. More on the how-to-play and code-breaking game pages.