What is Speedle?
Speedle is a timed word-guessing game played on five-letter grids. Solve as many words as you can before time runs out. Each day has three difficulty levels: Easy allows 10 guesses and 3 minutes, Medium allows 8 guesses and 2 minutes, and Hard allows 6 guesses and 1 minute. The timer starts with your first keystroke and continues across all grids without resetting.
How to play Speedle
- Select a date and difficulty level from the daily hub.
- Click the grid and type your first five-letter word to start the timer.
- Read the color feedback and move directly to the next word without delay.
- Use the Pause button to stop the clock when needed; the board blurs during the pause.
- Continue solving words until the time expires or you run out of guesses.
The continuous timer is the core mechanic
The timer runs across all words in a session rather than resetting for each grid. Time saved on a quick solve carries over to harder words later, but time lost on rejected entries or slow typing also accumulates. In Endless mode, you start with 90 seconds and gain 10 seconds for every word solved, but a single missed word ends the run immediately.
Reading the feedback
Green marks a correct letter in the correct position, yellow marks a correct letter in the wrong position, and grey marks an absent letter. The header displays Time, Score, and a Word N counter that advances with each solved grid. Invalid words are rejected outright and the clock keeps running through the rejection. The Pause button freezes the timer but blurs the board to prevent using the break for planning.
Modes
Daily Challenge
Date-stamped puzzles available in Easy (10 guesses, 3 minutes), Medium (8 guesses, 2 minutes), or Hard (6 guesses, 1 minute).
Endless Mode
Starts at 90 seconds and adds 10 seconds per solved word. One missed word ends the run.
Practice Mode
Random words across all three difficulty tiers with instant retries and no timer pressure.
Daily Archive
A calendar of past daily challenges, each still playable.
Tips for faster solves
Time banked on an easy grid pays for a hard one later. The clock runs continuously, so every second saved or lost matters across the entire session.
Rejected words cost time even though they do not appear on the board. On a one-minute Hard run, two or three invalid entries can consume the entire budget.
Pause stops the clock but blurs the board, so it buys rest but not thinking time. Use it between words rather than in the middle of a grid.
Popular questions
How long does the daily challenge last?
It depends on the tier: 3 minutes with 10 guesses on Easy, 2 minutes with 8 on Medium, 1 minute with 6 on Hard.
When does the timer start?
On the first keystroke. Until then the board shows an invitation to start typing and the clock stays at its full value.
Can I play a day I missed?
Yes. The Daily Archive opens a calendar of past challenges, all still playable.
Do I need an account?
No. Signing in with Google is optional and only syncs completed daily challenges across devices.