What is Redacted?
Redacted presents a short news article from the Caldmere Gazette with five words blacked out. Each redaction bar displays the exact length of the missing word, so you know how many letters to find. The challenge is entirely about context: reading the syntax, register, and meaning of the sentence to reconstruct what belongs in each gap.
How to play Redacted
- Tap a black bar to select the word you want to work on.
- Type your guess using the on-screen keyboard and confirm. The bar width shows the exact letter count.
- Fill all five gaps to close the case. The puzzle only completes when every word is found.
- Use the "Skip →" link below the article to jump between gaps, or press USE TIP above the keyboard if you need help.
Six guesses for five words
The game gives you six attempts total, displayed above the keyboard alongside five key icons for the tip system. There is no color-coded feedback after each guess. The sentence structure itself acts as your guide: the grammar around the gap, the expected part of speech, and the newspaper's formal tone tell you what fits.
Tackle gaps in any order
The five redactions belong to the same article, so they are not independent puzzles. A word revealed near the end can clarify what makes sense at the beginning. Use the "Skip →" link to address the most constrained gap first rather than working left to right. With only one mistake allowed across all five words, start where the sentence almost forces the answer.
Tips for solving cases
Count letters immediately. The bar width eliminates half the dictionary before you consider meaning.
Pay attention to the register. Local news briefs often use familiar job titles, administrative language, and quoted lines. The paper’s style may help more than searching for one exact synonym.
Read the whole article before filling in the gaps. Choosing one word can change what fits elsewhere.
Each round, called the Case of the Day, uses a dated article from the Caldmere Gazette that is the same for every player. Past cases are available from the top navigation bar. The leaderboard and stats pages let you track your performance and compare results; you can log in from there.
The game is available in a browser and as an iOS app on the App Store.