How to play Mottle
To play Mottle, change the first letter of each of four words so all four answers fit the theme. You can make five mistakes and still solve the round. The sixth wrong guess ends it.
Play Mottle freePlay a round
- Read the theme. It tells you what all four answers have in common.
- Choose a row and a new first letter. Tap one of the on-screen letters or type the letter on your keyboard. Keep the rest of the word exactly as it appears.
- Solve all four in any order. A correct answer locks that row. A new wrong letter for a row uses one mistake. Repeating the same wrong letter on that row costs nothing.
When you run out of guesses, the game reveals the remaining answers. After either result, Share result copies your score without listing the answers.
Work through a real Mottle round
The theme is At the desk. Start with HEN. Keep EN and think of a writing tool. Replacing H with P makes PEN.
The other three clues on this board are CAPER, VOTE, and DAMP. Try changing only their first letters before opening the solution.
Show the remaining swaps
- CAPER → PAPER. Keep APER to make something you can write on.
- VOTE → NOTE. Keep OTE to make a short written reminder.
- DAMP → LAMP. Keep AMP to make something that lights the desk.
How do Mottle hints work?
Select any unsolved row and choose Hint. You’ll get a clue about the answer’s meaning. A hint uses none of your guesses, and the result records how many rows you used hints on.
When two answers seem possible, use the hint to narrow it down. Try HEN from the desk example.
Show a sample hint
A writing tool that uses ink.
Show the sample answer
HEN → PEN. The hint points to the ink in a pen.
Daily puzzle or practice?
The daily Mottle puzzle changes at midnight UTC, using a rotating set of rounds. Your browser saves your daily progress so you can return during the same UTC day. You can also replay an earlier date as a fresh round. Switch to Practice at the top of the board to play another round, then choose Next puzzle at the end to keep going.