What is Chordle?
Chordle is a music theory puzzle that asks you to guess a four-note chord in four tries. The answer is always one of four diatonic seventh chords—dominant seventh, minor seventh, half-diminished seventh, or major seventh—in close position with all notes contained within one octave. The inversion is part of the solution. You enter notes using your computer keyboard or by rotating an on-screen ring called the Keyring.
How to play Chordle
- Build a four-note chord with your keyboard or the rotating note ring on screen.
- Rotate the ring clockwise or counterclockwise to change the spelling and voicing. Toggle between sharps and flats, or press Backspace to undo.
- Press Enter to submit. The game accepts only chords from the allowed list.
- Read the color feedback from each column and revise your guess. You have four attempts.
Reading the feedback
Each note receives color-coded feedback based on its column position. Green means the note is correct and in the correct position. Yellow means the note belongs to the chord but appears in the wrong column, signaling that you need to adjust the inversion. Gray means the note does not belong to the chord at all. The help panel recommends keeping sound on so you can hear each guess played back.
Why play Chordle?
Chordle was created by educator Nate May for an online music school. The four-attempt limit and the closed list of chords turn the game into a harmony exercise disguised as a grid puzzle. You practice inversions by playing, which remains one of the most effective ways to learn them.
Tips for solving faster
- The allowed chord list is your real map. Only four qualities of seventh chords are accepted. Triads and ninth chords are not valid guesses.
- The inversion counts for winning but not for guessing. Find the four correct notes first, then focus on rearranging them to get the bass note right. Yellow feedback signals this second phase.
- No chord on the list uses C♭, F♭, B♯, or E♯. Those spellings are excluded entirely, which narrows the field significantly.
- Close position is guaranteed. All notes fit within one octave, so you do not need to imagine wide gaps or doubled notes.
Common questions
Do you need to read music notation? No. You need to name the notes and recognize the four seventh-chord qualities listed in the help panel. Enter your answer with the keyboard or note ring; staff notation is not used.
Is the inversion mandatory? You can submit a chord in any inversion, but to win, your answer must match the correct inversion.